John Donne's Poetry

by John Donne, Arthur L. Clements

An annotated collection of Donne's most significant work, including five elegies, four satires, six verse letters, four divine poems and the text of all poems from the first 17th-century edition of his verse, originally published in 1633.

Genres: Poetry, Religion, Literature

400 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1966

About the author

John Donne was an English poet, preacher and a major representative of the metaphysical poets of the period. His works are notable for their realistic and sensual style and include sonnets, love poetry, religious poems, Latin translations, epigrams, elegies, songs, satires and sermons. His poetry is noted for its vibrancy of language and inventiveness of metaphor, especially as compared to that of his contemporaries.

Despite his great education and poetic talents, he lived in poverty for several years, relying heavily on wealthy friends. In 1615 he became an Anglican priest and, in 1621, was appointed the Dean of St Paul's Cathedral in London.

Reviews

[Nicole S-P]

Some of my favorite poems are in here: The Sun Rising, The Indifferent, and The Broken Heart to name a few.

I'd recommend learning to decipher ye olde English first (or at least being comfortable with it), and learning about how to read a poem/sonnet and poetry structure.

Nonetheless, beautiful lines