The Songs and Sonnets of John Donne

John Donne, born in London in either 1571 or 1572, was an English poet, scholar, and cleric in the Church of England. He hailed from a recusant Catholic family and later became Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral in London from 1621 to 1631. Donne is highly regarded as the foremost English metaphysical poet, known for his rich style that encompassed various forms including sonnets, love poems, religious poems, Latin translations, epigrams, elegies, songs, and satires.

Donne’s poetry represented a departure from Elizabethan poetry, incorporating European baroque and mannerist techniques. His work displayed deep knowledge of English society and explored themes of true religion, secular matters, eroticism, and love. Despite his poetic and educational accomplishments, Donne experienced poverty for several years. He squandered his inheritance, and subsequently relied on the support of wealthy friends.

In 1601, Donne secretly married Anne More, fathering twelve children. This marriage, of which her father disapproved, initially led to his imprisonment and the loss of his position as secretary. He reluctantly entered the priesthood in 1615 on King James I’s insistence and also served as a member of Parliament.

Donne experienced the death of several of his children, and of his wife in 1617, which profoundly affected his writing. His sermons and religious poems in his later years echoed his deep theological reflections.

He died on March 31, 1631, leaving behind a significant legacy in both religious and secular literature. His poetic mastery is particularly evident in his metaphysical conceits, in poems which combine disparate ideas into a singular concept.

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