Poetry Analysis

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Busy old fool, unruly sun,

Original Poetry

Translation

Busy old fool, unruly sun,

You old and foolish sun, why are you bothering us?

Why dost thou thus,

Why do you call on us through windows and curtains?

Through windows, and through curtains call on us?

Do lovers have to follow your schedule?

Must to thy motions lovers' seasons run?

You rude, bossy creature, go bother schoolboys and apprentices.

Saucy pedantic wretch, go chide

Tell the court huntsmen the king will ride today,

Late school boys and sour prentices,

And call the country ants to their harvest duties.

Go tell court huntsmen that the king will ride,

Love doesn't follow seasons or climates,

Call country ants to harvest offices,

Nor does it care about hours, days, or months, which are just time's leftovers.

Love, all alike, no season knows nor clime,

Your beams are so respected and strong,

Nor hours, days, months, which are the rags of time.

Why do you think that?

Thy beams, so reverend and strong

I could block them with a wink,

Why shouldst thou think?

But I don't want to miss seeing her for that long.

I could eclipse and cloud them with a wink,

If her eyes haven't blinded you,

But that I would not lose her sight so long;

Look, and tomorrow tell me,

If her eyes have not blinded thine,

If the riches of the East Indies are still there,

Look, and tomorrow late, tell me,

Or if they are here with me.

Whether both th' Indias of spice and mine

Ask about the kings you saw yesterday,

Be where thou leftst them, or lie here with me.

And you'll hear they are all here in bed with us.

Ask for those kings whom thou saw'st yesterday,

She is all countries, and I am all princes,

And thou shalt hear, All here in one bed lay.

Nothing else matters.

She's all states, and all princes, I,

Princes just imitate us; compared to this,

Nothing else is.

All honor is fake, all wealth is like alchemy.

Princes do but play us; compared to this,

Sun, you are only half as happy as we are,

All honor's mimic, all wealth alchemy.

Because the world is smaller now.

Thou, sun, art half as happy as we,

Your old age needs rest, and since your job is

In that the world's contracted thus.

To warm the world, that's done by warming us.

Thine age asks ease, and since thy duties be

Shine on us here, and you are shining everywhere;

To warm the world, that's done in warming us.

This bed is your center, these walls, your universe.

Shine here to us, and thou art everywhere;

This bed thy center is, these walls, thy sphere.

Explanation

John Donne's 'The Sun Rising' is a metaphysical poem that challenges the authority of the sun, a symbol of time and order, by asserting the supremacy of love. The speaker, addressing the sun as a 'busy old fool,' questions why it disrupts lovers by marking the passage of time. He suggests that love transcends time and space, rendering the sun's duties irrelevant. The poem employs hyperbolic metaphors, likening the lovers' bed to the center of the universe, and dismisses worldly honors and wealth as mere illusions compared to the richness of love. Donne's use of witty conceits and dramatic monologue reflects his mastery of metaphysical poetry, where intellectual playfulness and emotional intensity converge. The poem ultimately celebrates the idea that love creates its own universe, independent of external forces.

Word Dictionary13

Word	In English	Plain (English)	Pron.
unruly	disobedient	difficult to control	uhn-roo-lee
dost	do	old-fashioned 'do'	dust
thou	you	old-fashioned 'you'	thou
thy	your	old-fashioned 'your'	thigh
saucy	cheeky	impudently bold	saw-see
pedantic	overly concerned with rules	overly concerned with minor details	puh-dan-tik
wretch	miserable person	a very unhappy person	retch
prentices	apprentices	people learning a skill	pren-tis-ez
clime	climate	a region with a particular climate	klahym
reverend	respected	deserving respect	rev-er-uhnd
eclipse	block	to cover or block	ih-klips
alchemy	magic-like transformation	a magical process of transformation	al-kuh-mee
sphere	area	a round shape or area	sfeer

Poet & Context

PoetJohn Donne

EraMetaphysical poetry, early 17th century

John Donne (1571 or 1572 – 1631) was an English poet, scholar, soldier, and cleric in the Church of England. Known for his metaphysical poetry, Donne's works are noted for their metaphorical and sensual style. He served as Dean of St Paul's Cathedral in London.

View on Wikipedia

WhenEarly 17th century

WhyJohn Donne's poem 'The Sun Rising' is a metaphysical poem that reflects his complex relationship with love and the natural world. It was written during a time when Donne was exploring themes of love, religion, and the human condition, often using elaborate metaphors and conceits.

FormMetaphysical poetry

Themes & More

Themes

LoveTimeAuthorityNature

Literary devices

Metaphor: The sun is compared to a 'busy old fool' and a 'saucy pedantic wretch.'Personification: The sun is given human traits, such as being able to call on people.Hyperbole: Exaggeration is used to describe the lovers' bed as the center of the universe.Conceit: The poem uses an extended metaphor comparing the sun's role to the lovers' experience.Irony: The speaker mocks the sun's power while claiming love's superiority.