The Sun Rising - 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 the Indias of spice and mine
Be where thou left'st 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 PrincesI;
Nothing else is.
Princes do but play us; compared to this,
All honour'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 tous, and thou art everywhere;
This bed thy centreis, these walls thy sphere.
, - The title refers to the Sun at dawn but also symbolizes time
The Sun Rising and the outside world interrupting love.
- Donne playfully treats it as a meddlesome intruder, highlighting
how love transcends worldly duties.
- The line addresses the Sun directly in a confrontational tone,
showing irritation at its interference in the speaker’s life.
- The figure of speech used is personification, as the Sun is
described as "busy" and "unruly," giving it human qualities of
being overly active and disobedient.
- The speaker accuses the Sun of disturbing lovers' private time.
- An apostrophe (a form of direct address) is present as the Sun
Busy old fool,unruly Sun,
is spoken to as though it can hear and respond.
- The comma after "fool" separates the initial insult from the
following adjective, emphasizing the criticism.
- This opening line conveys the speaker's frustration and sets a
playful, dramatic tone for the poem.
- The speaker questions the Sun's intrusion into their private
moment by asking why it peers through windows and curtains.
Why dost thou thus,
- This line personifies the Sun, attributing it with human qualities
like curiosity and rudeness, making it seem like an unwelcome
busybody.
Through windows and The question mark emphasizes the speaker's frustration and
-
through curtains call on disbelief at the Sun's interference.
The imagery of sunlight filtering through windows and curtains
us? -
evokes a sense of disruption, as if the Sun is invading their
intimate space.
The line questions why lovers must conform to the Sun's
-
movements and the passage of time it represents.
This rhetorical question conveys frustration, emphasizing that
-
love should be free from such constraints.
The personification of the Sun as an intrusive force highlights
Must to thy motions lovers' - its dominance over human affairs, giving it human qualities like
seasons run? control and interruption.
The question mark at the end emphasizes the speaker's
-
challenge to the Sun's authority and invites reflection.
The line is a sharp, dismissive insult aimed at the sun, calling it
-
arrogant and overly precise.
It personifies the sun, giving it human qualities to scold, which
-
intensifies the anger and frustration in the speaker's tone.
"Saucy" suggests boldness, implying the sun is interrupting the
-
Saucy pedantic wretch, go speaker's private time.
chide "Pedantic" refers to being overly concerned with small details,
- which in this context critiques the sun's relentless precision in
following its motions.
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 the Indias of spice and mine
Be where thou left'st 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 PrincesI;
Nothing else is.
Princes do but play us; compared to this,
All honour'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 tous, and thou art everywhere;
This bed thy centreis, these walls thy sphere.
, - The title refers to the Sun at dawn but also symbolizes time
The Sun Rising and the outside world interrupting love.
- Donne playfully treats it as a meddlesome intruder, highlighting
how love transcends worldly duties.
- The line addresses the Sun directly in a confrontational tone,
showing irritation at its interference in the speaker’s life.
- The figure of speech used is personification, as the Sun is
described as "busy" and "unruly," giving it human qualities of
being overly active and disobedient.
- The speaker accuses the Sun of disturbing lovers' private time.
- An apostrophe (a form of direct address) is present as the Sun
Busy old fool,unruly Sun,
is spoken to as though it can hear and respond.
- The comma after "fool" separates the initial insult from the
following adjective, emphasizing the criticism.
- This opening line conveys the speaker's frustration and sets a
playful, dramatic tone for the poem.
- The speaker questions the Sun's intrusion into their private
moment by asking why it peers through windows and curtains.
Why dost thou thus,
- This line personifies the Sun, attributing it with human qualities
like curiosity and rudeness, making it seem like an unwelcome
busybody.
Through windows and The question mark emphasizes the speaker's frustration and
-
through curtains call on disbelief at the Sun's interference.
The imagery of sunlight filtering through windows and curtains
us? -
evokes a sense of disruption, as if the Sun is invading their
intimate space.
The line questions why lovers must conform to the Sun's
-
movements and the passage of time it represents.
This rhetorical question conveys frustration, emphasizing that
-
love should be free from such constraints.
The personification of the Sun as an intrusive force highlights
Must to thy motions lovers' - its dominance over human affairs, giving it human qualities like
seasons run? control and interruption.
The question mark at the end emphasizes the speaker's
-
challenge to the Sun's authority and invites reflection.
The line is a sharp, dismissive insult aimed at the sun, calling it
-
arrogant and overly precise.
It personifies the sun, giving it human qualities to scold, which
-
intensifies the anger and frustration in the speaker's tone.
"Saucy" suggests boldness, implying the sun is interrupting the
-
Saucy pedantic wretch, go speaker's private time.
chide "Pedantic" refers to being overly concerned with small details,
- which in this context critiques the sun's relentless precision in
following its motions.
