The Sun Rising
By John Donne
,Contents
The Sun Rising.................................................................................................................................................................2
Title:.............................................................................................................................................................................3
Tone:...........................................................................................................................................................................3
Mood:..........................................................................................................................................................................3
Structure:....................................................................................................................................................................3
Poem analysis..................................................................................................................................................................4
Stanzas............................................................................................................................................................................9
Translation............................................................................................................................................................10
Questions..................................................................................................................................................................12
Answers.................................................................................................................................................................13
1
,THE SUN RISING
By John Donne
Busy old fool, unruly sun,
Why dost thou thus,
Through windows, and through curtains call on us?
Must to thy motions lovers' seasons run?
Saucy pedantic wretch, go chide
Late school boys and sour prentices,
Go tell court huntsmen that the king will ride,
Call country ants to harvest offices,
Love, all alike, no season knows nor clime,
Nor hours, days, months, which are the rags of time.
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,
And thou shalt hear, All here in one bed lay.
She's all states, and all princes, I,
Nothing else is.
Princes do but play us; compared to this,
All honor's mimic, all wealth alchemy.
Thou, sun, art half as happy as we,
In that the world's contracted thus.
Thine age asks ease, and since thy duties be
To warm the world, that's done in warming us.
Shine here to us, and thou art everywhere;
This bed thy center is, these walls, thy sphere.
2
,TITLE:
The Sun Rising: The title sets the central theme of the poem as the speaker's playful and challenging address to the
sun. It reflects the poem's focus on love's supremacy over the natural world.
Overall, "The Sun Rising" presents a playful and affectionate tone, celebrating the power of love while challenging
the cosmic authority of the sun. The poem's irregular structure and use of enjambment contribute to its flowing
and intimate feel. The title encapsulates the central theme of the poem, emphasizing the speaker's assertion of
love's dominance over worldly matters. The mood is joyful and romantic, conveying a sense of joy and
contentment in the presence of love.
TONE:
Playful: The speaker uses humorous and teasing language to address the sun, creating a lighthearted and
affectionate tone.
Challenging: The speaker questions the sun's authority and power, challenging its interference in the lovers' lives.
Intimate: The poem conveys a sense of closeness and intimacy between the speaker and his beloved.
MOOD:
Joyful: The poem exudes a sense of joy and contentment in the presence of love, making the speaker feel superior
to the sun and worldly matters.
Romantic: The poem celebrates the power of love, elevating it above all other concerns and exalting the beloved.
STRUCTURE:
Three Stanzas: The poem is divided into three stanzas, each with a distinct focus and tone.
Irregular Meter: The poem does not adhere to a strict meter, adding to its conversational and informal feel.
Rhyme Scheme: The rhyme scheme varies throughout the poem (e.g., ABBA, ABAB, AABB), contributing to its
playful and unpredictable nature.
Enjambment: The use of enjambment (continuation of a sentence beyond a line) creates a flowing and
uninterrupted rhythm, emphasizing the interconnectedness of ideas.
3
, POEM ANALYSIS
Line Figure Explanation Analysis
of and Effect
Speech
Busy old fool, Apostrophe, The speaker addresses the The speaker expresses annoyance at the
unruly sun, Personification sun directly as if it were a sun for interrupting their love and treats it
person, giving it human as an interfering character.
qualities of being busy and
unruly.
Why dost Rhetorical The speaker questions the This emphasizes the speaker's frustration
thou thus, Question sun's actions and demands with the sun's interference and shows his
an explanation for its desire for control over his own time with
behavior. his lover.
Through Personification The sun is personified as This reinforces the playful and intimate
windows, and someone who calls on tone of the poem, as if the sun were an
through them by peering through intrusive guest.
curtains call their windows and
on us? curtains.
Must to thy Personification The sun's motions are The speaker challenges the sun's power
motions personified as commands over time and asserts the supremacy of
lovers' that dictate the lovers' love over external influences.
seasons run? seasons and actions.
Saucy Epithet The speaker uses This adds a humorous and disrespectful
pedantic derogatory language to tone to the poem, further expressing the
wretch, go insult the sun, calling it speaker's frustration with the sun's
chide "saucy" and "pedantic." interference.
Late school Metaphor The sun is metaphorically This metaphor extends the idea that the
boys and sour compared to a teacher sun is a strict authority figure, disrupting
prentices, scolding late schoolboys the lovers' peace.
4
By John Donne
,Contents
The Sun Rising.................................................................................................................................................................2
Title:.............................................................................................................................................................................3
Tone:...........................................................................................................................................................................3
Mood:..........................................................................................................................................................................3
Structure:....................................................................................................................................................................3
Poem analysis..................................................................................................................................................................4
Stanzas............................................................................................................................................................................9
Translation............................................................................................................................................................10
Questions..................................................................................................................................................................12
Answers.................................................................................................................................................................13
1
,THE SUN RISING
By John Donne
Busy old fool, unruly sun,
Why dost thou thus,
Through windows, and through curtains call on us?
Must to thy motions lovers' seasons run?
Saucy pedantic wretch, go chide
Late school boys and sour prentices,
Go tell court huntsmen that the king will ride,
Call country ants to harvest offices,
Love, all alike, no season knows nor clime,
Nor hours, days, months, which are the rags of time.
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,
And thou shalt hear, All here in one bed lay.
She's all states, and all princes, I,
Nothing else is.
Princes do but play us; compared to this,
All honor's mimic, all wealth alchemy.
Thou, sun, art half as happy as we,
In that the world's contracted thus.
Thine age asks ease, and since thy duties be
To warm the world, that's done in warming us.
Shine here to us, and thou art everywhere;
This bed thy center is, these walls, thy sphere.
2
,TITLE:
The Sun Rising: The title sets the central theme of the poem as the speaker's playful and challenging address to the
sun. It reflects the poem's focus on love's supremacy over the natural world.
Overall, "The Sun Rising" presents a playful and affectionate tone, celebrating the power of love while challenging
the cosmic authority of the sun. The poem's irregular structure and use of enjambment contribute to its flowing
and intimate feel. The title encapsulates the central theme of the poem, emphasizing the speaker's assertion of
love's dominance over worldly matters. The mood is joyful and romantic, conveying a sense of joy and
contentment in the presence of love.
TONE:
Playful: The speaker uses humorous and teasing language to address the sun, creating a lighthearted and
affectionate tone.
Challenging: The speaker questions the sun's authority and power, challenging its interference in the lovers' lives.
Intimate: The poem conveys a sense of closeness and intimacy between the speaker and his beloved.
MOOD:
Joyful: The poem exudes a sense of joy and contentment in the presence of love, making the speaker feel superior
to the sun and worldly matters.
Romantic: The poem celebrates the power of love, elevating it above all other concerns and exalting the beloved.
STRUCTURE:
Three Stanzas: The poem is divided into three stanzas, each with a distinct focus and tone.
Irregular Meter: The poem does not adhere to a strict meter, adding to its conversational and informal feel.
Rhyme Scheme: The rhyme scheme varies throughout the poem (e.g., ABBA, ABAB, AABB), contributing to its
playful and unpredictable nature.
Enjambment: The use of enjambment (continuation of a sentence beyond a line) creates a flowing and
uninterrupted rhythm, emphasizing the interconnectedness of ideas.
3
, POEM ANALYSIS
Line Figure Explanation Analysis
of and Effect
Speech
Busy old fool, Apostrophe, The speaker addresses the The speaker expresses annoyance at the
unruly sun, Personification sun directly as if it were a sun for interrupting their love and treats it
person, giving it human as an interfering character.
qualities of being busy and
unruly.
Why dost Rhetorical The speaker questions the This emphasizes the speaker's frustration
thou thus, Question sun's actions and demands with the sun's interference and shows his
an explanation for its desire for control over his own time with
behavior. his lover.
Through Personification The sun is personified as This reinforces the playful and intimate
windows, and someone who calls on tone of the poem, as if the sun were an
through them by peering through intrusive guest.
curtains call their windows and
on us? curtains.
Must to thy Personification The sun's motions are The speaker challenges the sun's power
motions personified as commands over time and asserts the supremacy of
lovers' that dictate the lovers' love over external influences.
seasons run? seasons and actions.
Saucy Epithet The speaker uses This adds a humorous and disrespectful
pedantic derogatory language to tone to the poem, further expressing the
wretch, go insult the sun, calling it speaker's frustration with the sun's
chide "saucy" and "pedantic." interference.
Late school Metaphor The sun is metaphorically This metaphor extends the idea that the
boys and sour compared to a teacher sun is a strict authority figure, disrupting
prentices, scolding late schoolboys the lovers' peace.
4
