The Canonization By John Donne | Canonization Poem Summary

Table of Contents

Introduction

“The Canonization” is the poem of the English metaphysical poet “John Donne”. It was first published in 1633 in Donne’s posthumous collection ‘songs and sonnets’. Here the word “Canonization” means the act or process of changing an ordinary religious person into a saint in Catholic Christian religion. The title suggests that the poet and his beloved will become ‘saints of love’ in the future: and they will be regarded as saints of true love in the whole world in the future. In the poem, the poet demands the complainer to stop hindering their lives and leave them alone so that they can continue loving each other without any hindrance.

About the Poet

John Donne, poet of the poem ‘The Canonization’ was an English poet, scholar, and soldier. He was the most influential metaphysical poet. Every critic appreciated the contribution of John Donne in metaphysical poetry. He was one, who created a new kind of poetry in those days when everyone was following the tradition. Donne is frequently said to be the originator of the “Metaphysical School of poetry”. He was also known as the founder of the father of metaphysical poetry. Among his world-famous poems are ‘Holy Sonnets’, ‘A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning’, ‘Death Be Not Proud’, ‘The Fled’, ‘The Sun Rising’, ‘The Good Morrow’, and ‘The Canonization’.

Structure Of The Poem

It is a five-stanza poem that is separated into sets of nine lines. The lines rhyme in the pattern of abbacccaa. When we talk about the meter of the poem, there are moments in the text in which he used iambic pentameter, iambic tetrameter and also iambic trimeter.

‘The Power as well as Holiness of Love’ and ‘Love Poetry’, as well as ‘Immortality’ are the themes of the poem “Canonization”.

Summary Of The Canonization

In stanza one, the lover is in a peevish mood. He addresses this verse to a complainer. Apparently, he wants to say that one should keep himself busy by doing appropriate work rather than keeping a check on him and his lover. The lover tells the complainer that he can make fun of him as he is suffering from diseases and has grey hair but he won’t gain anything by that. He says that he can criticize his ill health but not his tendency to love. He questions the complainer why doesn’t he work and improve his lifestyle or make some money instead of disturbing or interfering with their lives.

The second stanza contains the elaborate metaphysical aspects of the poem.

“Alas, alas, who’s injured by my Love?
What merchant’s ships have my sight drowned?”

The lovers are not making any war or spreading diseases in society. They respect others’ property. The poet wants to say that his love injures nobody. It’s harmless. The lover is tactful, full of emotion and witty. He says, her sights are not responsible for the flood or floating off the ground. Spring won’t go away due to his coldness. Nature has its natural course and the lovers are not harming it. The heat in his vanish has not increased the number of people who die of plague. His love is harmless.

The lover says that the soldiers are doing their duty by going to war and the lawyers by fighting cases in court. But what the lover wants is to love his partner.

The lover does not care if he is called by any name because love has made them so. He says that they are like flies. They have a very short existence. He presumes the life to be short, just like the candle.

He compares himself to an Eagle and his lover to a Dove, they are complementary to each other. They love each other from the bottom of their heart. According to the lover, the riddle of Phoenix is their existence. They have two bodies, but they are one. Like the Phoenix, they die and they rise from their ashes.

The poet begins with the thought that, if they cannot live by love, they can die by it. He further says that if their love is not for tombs and hearses, they will find their place in poetry. So basically, they will find their place in the love sonnets. He says that he and his lover will be canonized by his love.

He believes love doesn’t die on death. If it is a platonic or desirable love, then it tends to exist even after death. Both their ashes will be amalgamated or merged if kept together.

In the final stanza of ‘The Canonization’, John Donner wants to reflect their ideal pattern of love. He says that they will be declared saints and will rewarded sainthood of Love. The lover also says that all the lovers will beg their pattern of love. People from various countries, towns and courts will be praising their love pattern and will ideally follow it.

Conclusion

Thus now we can say that “The Canonization” by John Donne describes a transcendent love that eventually evolves into the idealized base life for all other aspiring.