Candid love: The crux of Mtaphysical poetry
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29070/rntga044Keywords:
Metaphysical, ransack, allusions, illustrations, yoke, violence, heterogeneous, conceit, substantiate, scholar, admirability, balsamum, slangAbstract
Literally the word ‘Metaphysical’ is a blending of two different words ‘meta’ meaning beyond and ‘physical’ meaning the earthly world or the material world. The very term ‘Metaphysical’ was first coined by the 18th century English poet, playwright, essayist, and critic Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) in his book ‘Lives of the Most Eminent English Poets (1779-1781)’
Dr. Johnson Writing about Abraham Cowley made a gross generalization about the English poets of the age writing:
‘About the beginning of the 17th century appeared a race of writers that may be termed as Metaphysical poets.’[1]He further wrote that these poets were scholars and tried to display their knowledge in their poems. They ransacked nature and art for ‘illustrations, comparisons and allusions’ and created conceits in which the most ‘heterogeneous ideas’ are hitch by violence composed. They were more concerned with the admirability than the understandability of their conceits. He quotes from the different poets of the time to substantiate it:
‘By every wind that comes this way,
send me, at least a sigh or two’
(Cowley)
or, the medicinal knowledge conveyed by John Donne in “To The Countless of Bedford”:
“In everything there naturally grows, A balsamum to keep it fresh and new.” Dr. Johnson used the term ‘metaphysical’ as a piece of literary slung.
References
‘TheLives of the Eminent English poets’ – by Dr. Samuel Johnson Published by OUP in 1779.
‘Metaphysical Lyrics and poems’ by Prof. H.J.C. Grierson published in 1921, later published by OUP in 1995.
T.S. Eliot’s essay “The Metaphysical poets” published in 1921 which was a review of Grierson’s book.
ANCHITA KRISHNA on metaphysical poets (Wikipedia).
John Donne’s poems collected in ‘The Winged Word” Edited by David Green, published by Macmillan India Limited ISBN: 978 0333 911525, 0333 911520
John Donne’s Sonnet I collected in ‘The Winged Word” Edited by David Green, published by Macmillan India Limited ISBN: 978 0333 911525, 0333 911520
The critical essay titled John Donne: “the Monarch of Wit and Icon of Metaphysical poetry” by SAMIR ARAB published in Research Gate.
George Herbert’s poem titled ‘The Pulley’ collected in ‘The Winged Word” Edited by David Green, published by Macmillan India Limited ISBN: 978 0333 911525, 0333 911520
The poem “Love’s Horoscope” by Richard Crashaw from PotryNook.Com
10)Andrew Marvell’s poem ‘To His Coy Mistress’collected in ‘The Winged Word” Edited by David Green, published by Macmillan India Limited ISBN: 978 0333 911525, 0333 911520
John Donne's poem 'Lover's Infiniteness’collected in Wikipedia
Andrew Marvell’s poem ‘To His Coy Mistress’ collected in ‘The Winged Word” Edited by David Green, published by Macmillan India Limited ISBN: 978 0333 911525, 0333 911520
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