Topic > The Rising Sun by Donne: The Joy of Endless Love

John Donne addresses his poem “The Rising Sun” to the sun, but the theme of the poem is the joy of true love. The poet derives infinite joy from loving and being loved. The poet's wit and irony are here directed against the sun which tries to interfere in the lover's happiness. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In the opening stanza, the sun is referred to as a "busy old fool" who flashes his light in the lover's bedroom, perhaps intending to wake them up and separate them. It is unfair of him to expect lovers to act according to his movements. He could do his mundane errands like picking up "late kids" and lazy apprentices who hate working. Field ants and courtiers may yield to his authority, but not so lovers. Love is above time, which is regulated by the sun. For lovers the seasons, hours and days have no meaning. The argument against the sun continues. The sun must not think that its light is dazzling and worthy of respect. If the poet closes his eyes, the sunlight darkens. But he doesn't like to lose sight of his beloved by closing his eyes. In hyperbolic language he asks the sun if his beloved's eyes are not brighter than the sunlight. Looking into her eyes, the sun can feel dazzled. Wandering the whole world, the sun can inform him the next day if the lady is not worth more than the East and West Indies. The poet's lady contains all the kingdoms within herself. The poet, in possession of his mistress, is therefore richer than any king on earth. The lovers in Donne's poetry are the archetypal ideas or soul of the world, of which the states and principles are imperfect perfections. The poet declares that there is nothing else besides him and his beloved, implying that they have become one and together constitute the soul of the world. Lovers can look at the world from the height of perfection they have achieved through the realization of their true love. The pomp and majesty of a king are therefore but a mere imitation of the glory achieved by lovers. Compared to their spiritual wealth, all material wealth seems counterfeit. The sun, being old and set, will welcome the contraction of the world. Now that lovers are the world, they can fulfill their duty to illuminate and warm the world simply by shining on them. Going around a single room can go around the entire world. The tone of the poem is sweetly ironic as well as playful and colloquial. Love is shown as having triumphed over time and space. The poet's sense of completeness in possession of his lover is an illusion. Lovers mock space and time as illusions without realizing that they themselves are under an illusion. Those who accept the reality of time and space may be poor deluded mortals, but lovers who pride themselves on having achieved a sense of completeness are no better. Professor A. Stein points out: “What lovers majestically represent is not a distillation of all that is precious and delightful on earth to the imagination of a lover, who is not quite felt on earth…. Lovers possess in their bed what does not seem to bother them as an idea and image, a composite sign of the material possession of that gross external world. “Lovers look at other illusions from an unexamined illusion. The poet, with his beloved at his side, experiences infinite bliss, which appears perfect to him. He tries to impose on us the belief that kings and their kingdoms are all with lovers. The lady contains within herself all kingdoms, and the poet contains within herself all kings. A king with.