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The Good Morrow By John Donne

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The Good Morrow, a poem written by John Donne, gives a vivid, detailed, narration of the form of love many of us drastically seek to unearth. First, the speaker mentions the superfluous previous loves in which both he and his lover have encountered; as well as, comments on their past relationship, which was not pure at first. Noting their success in maturing and overcoming fear over a recent period of time, the narrator then continues to speak of their now pure love, one in which they have awaken to, and the relationship in which they wish to continue to amplify. Closing off the poem, the narrator reiterates the pureness of the relationship and inclines that their love will never end because a pure love never perishes, but instead …show more content…

Were we not weaned till then?” Not only does this question the pureness of past relationships, but it also questions his past relationship with this current lover. Later, we learn both members of this commitment were not at first mature of fully committed to one another due to fear, but now, as he mentions here, it seems they have finally found something pure. Continuing on, Donne forms an allusion to a biblical legend in the 4th line when he says, “Or snorted we in the Seven Sleepers’ den?” In the story of the Seven Sleepers, seven men awake to find themselves in an unexpected new reality. He creates this allusion in order to describe the impurity of previous relationships and to boast the current love he has found, one in which their love has constructed a superior reality. The allusion helps the reader comprehend the new lives the lovers have awoken to through their relationship. Concluding the stanza, the narrator states that all past loves were nothing more than a dream, implying they were not real or of any value to him when saying, “If ever any beauty I did see, which I desired, and got, twas but a dream.” The conclusion of this stanza allows the reader to transition into present time in which the lovers are now awake and alive in a way they never imagined to be possible in their dreams.
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