No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend's or of thine own were: any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bells tolls; it tolls for thee.
From Meditation 17
This is a recent addition to the planner. John Donne is the poet who is the answer to the excesses of Shelley and Byron but with all their romanticism. He gave up a lucrative profession in the Catholic church to marry his sweetheart, and they struggled financially all their lives while remaining madly in love. John Donne switched between high-minded, religious poetry and some downright blush-inducing love poetry to his wife.
I haven't done a serious study of John Donne, although he's on the list. Really, the best ambassador for John Donne's poetry is the play W;t, television version by Emma Tompson. I've seen the play performed and I've seen the TV version, and both were excellent. Amazing. Highly recommended.
No comments:
Post a Comment