Article: Poems of John Donne: John Donne Summary of Poems Part 2

Donne, John
Monarch Notes
01-01-1963
John Donne Summary of Poems Part 2

Loves Deitie:

The poet wishes he could speak with the ghost of some lover who died
before the god of Love was born, so that he might confirm his belief that no
man then loved a woman who did not return his love.

But since this god produc'd a destinie,
And that vice-nature, custome, lets it be;
I must love her, that loves not mee.

Comment:

This is all a reference to the pure convention (going back to the very
origins of Courtly Love in the Middle Ages) that a lover must languish and a
lady remain disdainful for as long as she wished. Donne playfully pretends
that it is a decree of the god of Love, and then proceeds to ...

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