English Literature
“The Sun Rising” by John Donne.
ABOUT THE POET
ABOUT THE POEM
John Donne was born in 1572 in London,
Title: The Sun Rising
England.
Poet: John Donne
He died in 1631.
Written: Around 1600–1605
He belonged to a Catholic family at a time
Published: 1633 (posthumously)
when Catholics were persecuted.
Genre: Lyric poem / Love poem
His father died early, and Donne faced
Type: Metaphysical poetry
many hardships in life.
Structure: 3 stanzas, each of 10 lines
He studied at Oxford and Cambridge, but
Rhyme Scheme: Irregular
did not take a degree due to religion.
Theme: Love vs time, love’s supremacy,
Donne lived a youthful, adventurous life in
defiance of authority
his early years.
Setting: Lovers in a bedroom at sunrise
He secretly married Anne More, which
Special Feature: Uses argument, wit, and
caused him serious financial trouble.
exaggeration
His famous line reflects this period: “John
Donne, Anne Donne, Undone.”
He struggled with poverty and emotional
suffering for many years.
Later in life, he turned deeply religious.
He became a priest in the Church of
England.
Donne was appointed Dean of St. Paul’s
Cathedral.
He is famous as a Metaphysical Poet.
His poetry combines love, intellect, religion,
and philosophy.
He is known for bold imagery, wit, and
metaphysical conceits.
1
Text And thou shalt hear, All here in one bed lay.
Busy old fool, unruly sun,
Why dost thou thus, She's all states, and all princes, I,
Through windows, and through curtains call Nothing else is.
on us?
Princes do but play us; compared to this,
Must to thy motions lovers' seasons run?
All honor's mimic, all wealth alchemy.
Saucy pedantic wretch, go chide
Thou, sun, art half as happy as we,
Late school boys and sour prentices,
In that the world's contracted thus.
Go tell court huntsmen that the king will
ride, Thine age asks ease, and since thy duties
be
Call country ants to harvest offices,
To warm the world, that's done in
Love, all alike, no season knows nor clime, warming us.
Nor hours, days, months, which are the rags of Shine here to us, and thou art everywhere;
time.
This bed thy center is, these walls, thy sphere.
Thy beams, so reverend and strong
Why shouldst thou think?
I could eclipse and cloud them with a wink,
But that I would not lose her sight so long;
If her eyes have not blinded thine,
Look, and tomorrow late, tell me,
Whether both th' Indias of spice and mine
Be where thou leftst them, or lie here with
me.
Ask for those kings whom thou saw'st
yesterday,
2
CENTRAL IDEA OF THE POEM Their room becomes the world, and nothing else
matters.
The central idea of “The Sun Rising” is that true
love is more powerful than time, nature, and Overall, the poem glorifies passionate love and
worldly authority. In the poem, the speaker emotional intensity, showing love as the most
addresses the sun as if it were a person and angrily powerful force in human life.
questions why it disturbs the lovers by rising in the
morning. He believes that love does not follow the SUMMARY OF THE POEM
rules of time or nature. The poet argues that love is “The Sun Rising” is a metaphysical love poem in
independent of hours, days, and seasons. The sun which John Donne expresses the intensity and
may control the daily routine of workers, pride of romantic love. The poem is set in a
schoolboys, and kings, but it has no power over bedroom where two lovers are lying together in the
lovers. Love creates its own world. morning. The rising sun interrupts their private
moment, and the poet reacts angrily.
In the second stanza, the poet proudly claims that
the beloved is so beautiful that the sun’s light is In the first stanza, the speaker scolds the sun and
weak compared to her eyes. He exaggerates his calls it rude and troublesome. He asks why it dares
love to show its greatness. to disturb lovers. He tells the sun to go wake
schoolboys, workers, and farmers instead. Lovers,
In the final stanza, the poet says that the whole
he says, are not controlled by time. Love does not
universe exists in their bedroom. Their love is the
recognize hours or days.
center of the world, and the sun should revolve
around them. In the second stanza, the speaker becomes more
confident and boastful. He claims that the sun’s
Thus, the poem celebrates love as timeless,
light is not impressive compared to the brightness
supreme, and all-powerful, greater than nature and
of his beloved’s eyes. He exaggerates his love to
social duties.
show its greatness. He even says that if the sun
THEME OF THE POEM looks at his lover, it will be blinded.
The main theme of “The Sun Rising” is the In the final stanza, the poet declares that the entire
supremacy of love over time and nature. Donne world exists in their bedroom. All kings, countries,
presents love as something that does not depend on and riches are contained within their love. The
clocks, calendars, or natural laws. The lovers live in lovers are the center of the universe. He invites the
their own world where time has no meaning. sun to shine only on them, as their room is now the
whole world.
Another important theme is defiance of authority.
The speaker challenges the sun, which symbolizes The poem reflects Donne’s personal life and
time, duty, and discipline. This reflects the youthful passion. It shows the metaphysical style—
rebellious and intellectual spirit of metaphysical argumentative, intellectual, emotional, and
poetry. imaginative. Ultimately, the poem celebrates love
as a force greater than time, power, and nature.
The poem also explores self-centered love, where
the lovers see themselves as the entire universe.
3
FIGURES OF SPEECH & LITERARY TERMS Theme statement
(LINE BY LINE)
Line 10: “Nor hours, days, months, which are the
Line 1: “Busy old fool, unruly Sun,” rags of time.”
Personification: Sun treated as a person Metaphor: Time compared to rags
Apostrophe: Addressing the sun directly Line 11: “Thy beams, so reverend and strong”
Line 2: “Why dost thou thus,” Irony: Respectful yet mocking tone
Rhetorical Question Line 12: “Why shouldst thou think?”
Line 3: “Through windows, and through curtains Rhetorical Question
call on us?”
Line 13: “I could eclipse and cloud them with a
Imagery: Visual image of morning light wink,”
Line 4: “Must to thy motions lovers’ seasons run?” Hyperbole: Exaggeration of power
Metaphor: Sun’s motion = time Line 14: “But that I would not lose her sight so
long.”
Rhetorical Question
Paradox: Power restrained by love
Line 5: “Saucy pedantic wretch, go chide”
Line 15: “If her eyes have not blinded thine,”
Personification
Hyperbole
Sarcasm / Mockery
Metaphor: Eyes brighter than sun
Line 6: “Late school boys and sour prentices,”
Line 16: “Look, and tomorrow late, tell me,”
Alliteration: s sound
Challenge / Irony
Imagery
Line 17: “Whether both th’ Indias of spice and
Line 7: “Go tell court-huntsmen, that the king will
mine”
ride,”
Allusion: East & West Indies
Irony: Kings ruled by sun
Metaphor: Wealth contained in love
Line 8: “Call country ants to harvest offices;”
Line 18: “Be where thou left’st them, or lie here
Metaphor: Ants = farmers
with me.”
Line 9: “Love, all alike, no season knows nor
Hyperbole
clime,”
Line 19: “She’s all states, and all princes I;”
Personification: Love made timeless
Metaphysical Conceit: Lovers = world
4
Line 20: “Nothing else is.”
Assertion / Theme reinforcement
Line 21: “Princes do but play us; compared to this,”
Irony
Line 22: “All honour’s mimic; all wealth alchemy.”
Metaphor: False honor and wealth
Line 23: “Thou, sun, art half as happy as we,”
Personification
Hyperbole
Line 24: “In that the world’s contracted thus;”
Metaphor: World = bedroom
Line 25: “Thine age asks ease, and since thy duties
be”
Personification
Line 26: “To warm the world, that’s done in
warming us.”
Conclusion / Metaphysical wit