There’s something magical about John Donne’s poetry—the way he weaves passion, intellect, and raw emotion into verses that feel both ancient and startlingly fresh. The Good-Morrow, one of his most celebrated love poems, is no exception. Written in the 17th century, it captures the exhilarating moment when two lovers awaken to a new, deeper understanding of their bond.
Let’s walk through this beautiful poem, line by line, and uncover its layers of meaning.
The Good-Morrow – John Donne
Stanza 1: A Past Life of Shallow Love
“I wonder, by my troth, what thou 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.”
Explanation:
Donne begins with a sense of wonder—almost disbelief—at how empty life was before love. He questions what he and his beloved were even doing before they found each other. Were they like unweaned children, indulging in simple, immature pleasures? Or were they like the Seven Sleepers (a Christian and Islamic legend about men who slept for centuries), oblivious to true love’s existence?
He admits that all past joys were mere shadows compared to this real, all-consuming love. Every beauty he ever desired was just a faint glimpse of his beloved.
Stanza 2: The Awakening of True Love
“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 others, worlds on worlds have shown, Let us possess one world, each hath one, and is one.”
Explanation:
Now, the lovers have truly awoken. Their souls greet each other with a joyful “good-morrow” (good morning). Unlike insecure lovers who watch each other out of fear, their love is pure and all-encompassing.
Donne suggests that love transforms even a “little room” into an entire universe—why chase distant lands when true fulfillment lies in each other? While explorers seek new worlds, the lovers already possess their own perfect world in one another.
Stanza 3: Love’s Eternal Unity
“My face in thine eye, thine 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, thou and I Love so alike, that none do slacken, none can die.”
Explanation:
Here, Donne paints a beautiful image of mutual reflection—his face in her eyes, hers in his. Their love is so balanced and true that they form”
Difficult Words & Meanings
- Troth (Line 1) – An old-fashioned word for “faith,” “pledge,” or “loyalty.” (“By my troth” = “In all honesty.”)
- Weaned (Line 2) – To be gradually detached from dependency (originally for infants stopping breast milk). Here, it means immature or clinging to childish pleasures.
- Country pleasures (Line 3) – Simple, unsophisticated joys (possibly sensual or trivial).
- Snorted (Line 4) – Slumbered heavily (like snoring); implies ignorance or passive existence.
- Seven Sleepers’ den (Line 4) – Reference to a legend where seven Christian youths hid in a cave to escape persecution and slept for centuries. Donne suggests they were “asleep” to true love before.
- Good-morrow (Line 8) – Archaic term for “good morning”; symbolizes a spiritual awakening.
- Controls (Line 10) – Overpowers or dominates (“love controls all other sights” = love blinds them to distractions).
- Hemispheres (Line 17) – Half-spheres (Earth’s Northern/Southern). Donne compares lovers to perfect halves of a globe—no flaws (no “sharp north” or “declining west”).
- Declining west (Line 18) – The setting sun; metaphor for decay or death.
- Mixed equally (Line 19) – Balanced and unified (unequal love “dies,” but theirs won’t).
Bonus: Key Metaphors
- “Little room an everywhere” – Love makes small spaces feel infinite.
- “Dream of thee” – Past loves were just shadows of the current beloved.
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