A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning and the Sun Rising

A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning and The Sunne Rising

To say that Blake and Donne do not write uplifting poetry is a great injustice to their works. Although some of their poems discuss themes of depressing nature, on a wider scale both Blake and Donne write poetry which is not only uplifting but also inspiring and extremely worthwhile to read.

The two main themes covered by these two writers are love and death. The poems which use love as the main theme inspire the reader and offer hope that true love exists and is not a fragment of their imagination. The feelings that are discussed in these poems are feelings that all people can experience but are difficult to describe and put into words. This is what makes the poetry so worthwhile to read, to see how the feelings that relate to love are expressed and how they are shown with images and other writing styles.

A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning by John Donne was written to express his feelings for his lover. The poem talks about the feelings of love being so intense that nothing will ever dull the bond between the two souls. A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning is uplifting because Donne talks of a "love so refined that ourselves know not what it is," in other words a love so perfect it cannot be explained. This is what makes the poem because Donne has said the love cannot be explained but then he goes on to explain what the two people are feeling and it is done in a way that can never be reproduced or attempted by other poets. This poem is as perfect as the love it describes. Donne explains how the love that is shared by the two is a love that is not affected by sensory things. "care lesse eyes, lips and hands to misse," or don't think that being apart dulls this love, because the love is so strong that even the non-existence of one or both partners cannot bring an end to the intense love felt by both.

A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning is also talking about death however it does not affect the uplifting nature of the poem because Donne is saying that even in death true love never dies.

The Sunne Rising also written by John Donne is a story about how he and his lover try to convince the sun to return later so they can stay together. Donne directly addresses the sun and pleads for the sun to recognise the beauty of his lover and to let them be together by not rising and forcing them to get out of bed. The way that Donne talks about his lover is inspirational because he is completely in love with this one person, so much so that he cannot fault her. This is what true love is and the way it is shown in this poem is as beautiful as the girl is. "if her eyes had not blinded thine" Donne is asking the sun if his lovers eyes had blinded the sun, Donne is suggesting that the sun can look at all the beauty in the whole world however his lover is more stunning than anything on earth and therefore the sun will be blinded by her beauty. He compares his lover to ‘the India's of spice' referring to the Spice Islands known for their stunning scenery and sheer beauty. This poem has an overall low tone but the meaning of the poem outshines the sound and so it can be regarded as an uplifting work.