John Donne - The Good-Morrow - Analysis. Poetry Lecture by Dr. Andrew Barker

Описание: THE GOOD MORROW. A love poem from the morning after. Upon waking, the poet feels a new kind of love for the woman he is with. And this poem, "The Good Morrow", is what he tells her.
But what was their relationship like? How has it changed? What will their love be like in the future?
Dr. Andrew Barker's lecture on "The Good Morrow", looks at both the confidence and vulnerability of the one who speaks the beautiful lines that make up this declaration of heightened love.
Note: Analysis of the line "Suckled on country pleasures childishly" contains profanity (34:40 -- 36:54).

Andrew Barker
The Good Morrow

I wonder by my troth, what thou and I

Did, till we loved? were we not wean'd till then?
But suck'd on countrey pleasures, childishly?

Or snorted we in the seaven sleepers den?
T’was so; But this, all pleasures fancies bee;
If ever any beauty I did see,
Which I desir’d, and got, t’was but a dreame of thee.

And now good morrow to our waking soules,

Which watch not one another out of feare;
For love, all love of other sights controules,

And makes one little roome, an every where.
Let sea-discoverers to new worlds have gone;
Let Maps to other, worlds on worlds have showne;
Let us possesse one world, each hath one, and is one.

My face in thine eye, thine in mine appeares,

And true plaine hearts doe in the faces rest,
Where can we finde two better hemispheares

Without sharpe North, without declining West?
Whatever dyes, was not mixt equally;
If our two loves be one, or, thou and I
Love so alike, that none doe slacken, none can die.

John Donne


The version above is the one that appears in the video. A more grammatically correct version of this poem would be:


I wonder, by my troth, what you and I
Did, till we loved? were we not weaned till then?
But sucked on country pleasures, childishly?
Or snorted we in the Seven Sleepers’ den?
‘Twas so; but this, all pleasures fancies be;
If ever any beauty I did see,
Which I desired, and got, ‘twas but a dream of thee.

And now good-morrow to our waking souls,
Which watch not one another out of fear;
For love all love of other sights controls,
And makes one little room an everywhere.
Let sea-discoverers to new worlds have gone;
Let maps to other, worlds on worlds have shown;
Let us possess one world; each has one, and is one.

My face in your eye, yours in mine appears,
And true plain hearts do in the faces rest;
Where can we find two better hemispheres
Without sharp north, without declining west?
Whatever dies, was not mixed equally;
If our two loves be one, or you and I
Love so alike that none do slacken, none can die.


John Donne

Morrow = The next day.
Troth = Promise.
Weaned = Mature and independent. Literally: freed of dependence on mother's milk.
Hemispheres = Halves of the Globe.
Slacken = Lessen, become looser or less active.


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