The Sun Rising

The Sun Rising
John Donne

http://www.luminarium.org/sevenlit/donne/sunrising.htm

I love the attitude and tone of this poem. It is all based around the speaker and his attitude towards the woman he loves. It really expresses how those in love block out the rest of the world and it really can "conquer all." Donne goes as far as talking to the sun and scorning it for disturbing him and his love, calling the sun a "saucy pedantic wretch." This harsh and descriptive diction is so powerful, and I just love that line. The poem's focus is two lovers in a bed, and the speaker continues to act as if nothing powerful in the world compares to the power of their love. He says he can "eclipse and cloud [the sun's beams] with a wink." He compares his love to the highest of princes and kings. This poem reminds me of Donne's "A Valediction Forbidding Mourning" as it has the same underlying theme of love being able to endure great obstacles; this is part of what I love about Donne's poetry. It not only has this appealing theme, but also addresses it in a unique, but very direct, way. There is rhyme in this poem as well, but I feel it adds a flowing and elevated nature. I really enjoy this poem and the speaker's attitude towards the world and the sun in particular is a great way of sticking it to the skeptics who think that love is not all powerful.