The Relic

Donne uses religious theology about judgement day and what happens after death to pen a poem whereby he is presenting an image of him and his lover in their graves. In the poem he describes how items of their body will become relics and they will be deemed holy because of the transcendent elevated nature of their love.

The poem centres on the themes of death / religion / theology / love / life after death / judgement. These themes are prevalent in his other love poems, The Ecstasy (platonic theory of souls) & The Anniversary (life after death.) The poem is comprised of three stanzas of 11 lines each. Each stanza is identical in structure and in form. The poem opens with a macabre, cynical dark tone of hard worldliness and realism. The tone gradually shifts throughout the poem to one where there is positivism, idealism and affirmation of love, thus reflecting the theme. There is the use of the typical metaphysical rhyme and rhythm. Clearly a "song", it possesses the rhythmic ebb and flow of a madrigal, moving lightly between four, three and five-beat lines in a pattern followed faithfully in each stanza.

Typical of Donne to employ shocking imagery in a love poem, he opens the scene with the macabre, dark, sardonic image of a grave being dug up. Immediately addresses the theme of death “when my grave is broke up again / some second guest to entertain”. There is a reference to how, in this era, graves were often dug up and the bones burnt so a second body could be fitted due to a lack of space.
Donne establishes the image of corpses as lovers as the gravedigger spies a bracelet made of hair on the skeleton – “A bracelet of bright hair about the bone” this hair represents a woman while the speaker is symbolised by the bone. This conveys the idea of lovers’ unity, even in death. The speaker instructs the grave digger to leave them alone.

There is a reference to judgement day or the apocalypse – “this device might be some way / To make their souls at the last busy day / Meet at this grave”
Donne is developing on the Renaissance theory that on judgement day, all the souls will arise from their graves, seek their scattered body parts and try to create a union with their bodies. Donne hopes that he and his lover’s soul will find each other and unite at the grave. This references both religious imagery, reflecting Donne’s interest in theology, and the platonic theory of souls. Donne suggests that the sexton may do his work during a time when “mis-devotion” rules, that is, when worship includes the adoration of relics – “Where mass-devotion doth command”. Donne references how it is against the Protestant religion to adore relics. The sexton will take the bones and the hair to the Bishop and the King, who will identify them as holy relics because of the supreme transcendent love they felt for each other – “To make us relics”

Donne makes a contextual reference to how Mary Magdalene is always depicted with long blonde hair in Renaissance paintings – “Thou shalt be a Mary Magdalen” His lover also has bright hair, as symbolised by the bracelet of hair – this hair will remind a later age of Mary Magdalene. The speaker’s bones will become another type of relic.The reference to Mary Magdalene brings with it certain connotations, though, later receiving a sainthood she was known for her promiscuity. “For graves have learn'd that woman-head, To be to more than one a bed.” This could suggest that women in general are sexually promiscuous or that their bodies have a dual role, being shared by the male lover and the children of the union. This kind of sexual reference is typical of Donne’s risqué poetic style. He employs word play on woman as he merges it with the term ‘maiden-head’ meaning virginity. Though Donne does lay claim that the woman eulogised in the poem, however, is not promiscuous. “The tone is loving, but, in its moments of amused irony, it's also that of a sexually experienced young man-of-the-world.”-Carol Rumens

The speaker believes people will have faith in his bones and her hair as relics, and they shall be credited with performing miracles – “miracles are sought”. People of the later period will want to know what miracles they performed, which the speaker promises to explain at the close of this stanza. There is a reference to how women ostensibly have more faith than men as evidenced in Luke’s Gospel – “All women shall adore us, and some men”. This reflects Donne’s interest in theology.

He begins to discuss their accomplishments in love – they loved well and faithfully. This is the idea of transcendent spiritual elevated love, where their sex did not matter. Their love was instead entirely chaste, subdued and so mysterious that they themselves could not understand it - “Difference of sex we never knew, / No more than guardian angels do ;” He makes reference to the Christian believe that at birth you are given a soul accompanied by a guardian angel to guide it. Donne likens the couple to angels, ethereal beings who transcend earthly ones and are not defined by a sexual nature.

“Coming and going we, Perchance might kiss, but not between those meals” There is a chance that they may kiss – this is often regarded as food for the soul, meaning any physical contact would not diminish their soulful connection – it would in fact add to it. In this era, the restriction on sex was not natural – it was introduced by man made laws and societal conventions. Human nature was forbidden from manifesting itself due to human law. “These miracles we did” Their miracle was exceptional love. Their love was so devout that it holds miraculous transcendent qualities. The speaker asserts that there is no way to measure, nor is there any language to describe how miraculous the love they experienced was like, and how much of a miracle his lover was. “Should I tell what a miracle she was.”

The Relic talks about mortal human beings but also reflects immortal love in the same tone. The speakers notes how he and his lover together accomplished miracles; but the biggest miracle to happen to him was 'she'.