“THE SUNNE RISING” By JOHN DONNE
“THE SUNNE RISING”
By
JOHN DONNE
Busy old
fool, unruly sun,
Why dost thou thus,
Through
windows, and through curtains call on us?
Must to thy
motions lovers' seasons run?
Saucy pedantic wretch, go chide
Late school boys and sour
prentices,
Go tell court huntsmen that the king
will ride,
Call country ants to harvest offices,
Love, all
alike, no season knows nor clime,
Nor hours,
days, months, which are the rags of time.
Thy beams,
so reverend and strong
Why shouldst thou think?
I could
eclipse and cloud them with a wink,
But that I
would not lose her sight so long;
If her eyes have not blinded
thine,
Look, and tomorrow late, tell
me,
Whether both th' Indias of spice and
mine
Be where thou leftst them, or lie here
with me.
Ask for
those kings whom thou saw'st yesterday,
And thou
shalt hear, All here in one bed lay.
She's all
states, and all princes, I,
Nothing else is.
Princes do
but play us; compared to this,
All honor's
mimic, all wealth alchemy.
Thou, sun, art half as happy as
we,
In that the world's contracted
thus.
Thine age asks ease, and since thy
duties be
To warm the world, that's done in
warming us.
Shine here
to us, and thou art everywhere;
This bed
thy center is, these walls, thy sphere.
"“The Sunne Rising” is a famous metaphysical love poem by John Donne. The poem presents a lover speaking directly to the rising sun, which enters his bedroom and disturbs him and his beloved. Instead of welcoming the morning, the speaker angrily questions why the sun has come to interfere with their private world of love.
In the first stanza, the speaker calls the sun a “busy old fool” because it has disturbed the lovers. He tells the sun that it should go and shine upon schoolboys, apprentices, hunters, and other people who have duties to perform.
The speaker believes that lovers should not be controlled by ordinary routines or by the passing of time. While the rest of the world must follow the movements of the sun, the lovers are absorbed in their own happiness.
In the second stanza, the speaker proudly claims that the sun is not as powerful as it thinks. He says that he could easily block the sunlight simply by closing his eyes, but he does not want to lose sight of his beloved.
He then challenges the sun by asking whether the great kings, rulers, and treasures of the world are really more important than the woman lying beside him. To the speaker, his beloved is more beautiful and valuable than all the wealth of India and all the kingdoms of the world.
In the final stanza, the speaker makes an even stronger statement about the power of love. He says that his beloved represents all the countries of the world, while he represents all the kings and rulers. Therefore, their small bedroom contains the whole world. In comparison with their love, political power, wealth, and kingdoms seem unimportant. The speaker even suggests that the sun does not need to travel around the world because the entire world is present in the lovers' room.
At the end of the poem, the speaker tells the sun that it can remain in their bedroom and shine upon them. By doing so, the sun will actually be performing its duty of warming the whole world, because the lovers themselves have become the centre of the universe. The small bedroom is transformed into a complete world through the power of love and imagination.
In this way, “The Sunne Rising” celebrates the greatness and intensity of love. John Donne presents love as something that is stronger than time, wealth, political power, and even the natural power of the sun. The poem beautifully shows how two people deeply in love can create their own complete and meaningful world.
Themes of “The Sunne Rising” by John Donne
The Sun Rising is a metaphysical love poem that presents love as powerful enough to create its own world. The major themes of the poem are:
1. The Power of Love
The central theme of the poem is the power of true love. The speaker believes that his love is more important than everything happening outside his bedroom. Even the rising sun, which controls the daily activities of the world, cannot disturb the lovers' happiness. Love creates a private world where the lovers are completely satisfied.
2. Love and the Outside World
The speaker contrasts the peaceful world of love with the busy outside world. The sun is associated with ordinary activities such as work, school, hunting, and politics. However, the lovers do not care about these worldly duties. Their love separates them from the pressures and responsibilities of society.
3. Love Conquers Time
The sun represents time because it marks the beginning of a new day and controls the daily routine of human life. The speaker, however, suggests that lovers are not controlled by time. When two people are deeply in love, they forget the passing of time and live fully in the present moment.
4. The Lovers Create Their Own Universe
One of the most important ideas in the poem is that the lovers themselves represent the whole world. The speaker claims that all the kings, countries, and riches of the world are present in their relationship. Their small bedroom becomes more important than the entire universe.
Thus, love transforms a private room into a complete universe.
5. Love as a Source of Happiness and Fulfilment
The lovers are emotionally satisfied with each other. They do not need wealth, power, or material possessions because their love gives them everything they need. The poem therefore presents love as a source of complete happiness and fulfilment.
6. Love and Equality
The poem also presents a sense of equality between the two lovers. The speaker and his beloved are equally important in their relationship. Together, they form a complete world. Their love is based on mutual affection and emotional unity rather than social status or wealth.
7. Microcosm and Macrocosm
A major metaphysical idea in the poem is the relationship between the small and the large—the microcosm and the macrocosm. The lovers' bedroom is a small space, but the speaker imagines it as containing the entire world. The private world of love becomes a reflection of the larger universe.
8. Love and Imagination
The poem shows the power of imagination. Through imagination, the speaker transforms an ordinary bedroom into the centre of the universe. He reduces the importance of the sun and elevates the importance of love. This imaginative exaggeration is one of the characteristic features of metaphysical poetry.
In this way, “The Sunne Rising” celebrates the greatness of love. John Donne presents love as stronger than time, wealth, political power, and even the sun itself. The poem suggests that when two people are united in true love, their small private world can become as meaningful and complete as the entire universe.
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