The Relic is a poem written by John Donne, a prominent English poet and cleric in the early 17th century. The poem is a meditation on the theme of death and the ephemerality of life.
In the first stanza, Donne begins by describing a relic, which is a physical object that is believed to have a special spiritual or religious significance. The relic in the poem is a "dead man's skull," and Donne uses it as a metaphor for death and the impermanence of life. He writes that the skull "mocks" the living, reminding them of their own mortality and the fact that they too will one day be reduced to a lifeless object.
The second stanza of the poem focuses on the idea of the self and how it is constantly changing over time. Donne writes that the self is not a fixed entity, but rather a "fugitive," constantly moving and evolving. He compares the self to a "bubble," which is fragile and ephemeral, and he warns that it is "in danger to be burst." This metaphor of the self as a bubble serves to emphasize the fleeting nature of life and the fact that death is always looming.
In the final stanza of the poem, Donne reflects on the idea of eternal life and the possibility of resurrection. He writes that the "immortal part" of a person lives on after death, and that it is this part that will be resurrected on the day of judgment. This final stanza serves to offer hope and consolation to the reader, reminding them that death is not the end and that they will have the opportunity to live on in a spiritual sense.
Overall, The Relic is a thought-provoking and poignant meditation on the theme of death and the fleeting nature of life. Through the use of vivid imagery and metaphor, Donne encourages readers to consider the impermanence of their own selves and to ponder the mysteries of the afterlife.
John Donne's "The Relic" What makes this poem an especially interesting treatment of love? How is the speaker of the poem a particularly complex and...
This is a poem of fancy where the miracle of hair in the grave sets the ball rolling. None grow rich 15In the sea. The digger will think that it is the grave of a loving couple and the bracelet of hair is a device to make the souls meet at the grave on the Day of Judgement and stay for a little while together. The speaker imagines that he will be buried with a strand of his beloved's hair around his wrist as a means of connecting them in the afterlife after having been lovers on earth. All measure, and all language, I should pass, Should I tell what a miracle she was. I found this jawbone at the sea's edge: There, crabs, dogfish, broken by the breakers or tossed To flap for half an hour and turn to a crust Continue the beginning. Whomever digs up his skeleton will notice that there is a ring of hair around his wrist and assume that this was a means of keeping two lovers together in the afterlife.
LT4: The Relic Flashcards
Directions: Click on the correct answer. We did not regard sex as the object of our love; our love was pure and ideal like the love between our guardian angels. It was published in 1633 in a posthumous collection of Donne's poetry. I would like to convey through this poem the miracles we innocent lovers performed. Donne makes fun of the superstitions attached to the 'purely' platonic ideas of love; also manages to satirize the society's blind prohibition against the attachment between the sexes. First we loved well and faithfully, Yet knew not what we loved, nor why; Difference of sex we never knew, No more than guardian angels do; Coming and going we Perchance might kiss, but not between those meals; Our hands ne'er touch'd the seals, Which nature, injured by late law, sets free. And, since at such time miracles are sought, I would have that age by this paper taught What miracles we harmless lovers wrought.
The Relic: Poem
. If the grave is dug in some heathen age or land, the bracelet will be brought to the king or the Bishop to be blessed and recognized as a Relic. In fact, love becomes as sacred as religion. The deeps are cold: 5In that darkness camaraderie does not hold. Determine which chapters, themes and styles you already know and what you need to study for your upcoming essay, midterm, or final exam. Take the free quiz now! They did not know what they loved in each other and why, though they loved 'well and faithfully'.
The relic (Analysis) Flashcards
At the same time, this love lives through a momento or souvenir - 'the bracelet of bright hair'. In that period people may ask for some miracle from us to prove our sainthood. The worship of the poet and his beloved as saints of love after their death is a great tribute to their holy love. He will then understand that this is the grave of a loving couple and thereby desist from disturbing us in our grave. The speaker sets out to explain what their relationship is like on earth, noting that they exchange quick kisses but nothing more. In the lines three and four, he has a fling at the inconstancy of woman because his beloved, like any woman, can have more than one man in her bed. The idea of death is emphasized by the grave and the Day of Judgment.
Relic by Ted Hughes
We shall then be worshipped as saints by all women and some men. One of the most famous metaphysical poets of the early modern period, Donne's poetry frequently takes up complex and highly intellectual subject matter through the use of extended metaphor. He attended Mexborough grammar school, and wrote his first poems from the age of fifteen, some of which made their way into the school magazine. This symbol will, according to the speaker, by misinterpreted by the grave digger who will attach more importance to it and have the couple's bones declared relics. There is a kind of contradiction as this pure love is dependent on a small bit of hair. The sight of a picked-clean fish jawbone on the beach leads the poem's speaker to reflect that it's a fish-eat-fish world out there—and that perhaps the only consolation for nature's brutality is the fact that new life arises from death. Their love was based on a close affinity between the two souls.
The Relic
That the lovers cannot be left alone to rest peacefully together is another suggestion by Donne that the Catholic church is more interested in objects and iconography than they are in personal relationships with God. If this fall in a time, or land, Where mass-devotion doth command, Then he that digs us up will bring Us to the bishop or the king, To make us relics; then Thou shalt be a Mary Magdalen, and I A something else thereby; All women shall adore us, and some men. Bracelet of Hair The bracelet of hair symbolizes earthly love. The unusual comparisons - grave and woman, lovers and guardian angels, the beloved and Mary Magdalen add to the charm of the poem. The hair shall perhaps be regarded as a relic of Mary Magdalen and the poet's bones as those of Christ or some other saint. Born August 17th, 1930 in Mytholmroyd, Yorkshire, his family moved to Mexborough when he was seven to run a newspaper and tobacco shop. The fifth and seventh lines are shorter than the rest.
