The Canonization : Summary
The Canonization is a notable literary work by John Donne. A complete discussion of this literary work is given, which will help you enhance your literary skills and prepare for the exam. Read the Main texts, Key info, Summary, Themes, Characters, Literary devices, Quotations, Notes, and various study materials of The Canonization.
Summary
The poem’s speaker is a middle-aged man who has fallen deeply in love. He tells a mocking friend to leave him alone and let him love his beloved.
Stanza 1—Let Him Love
The speaker, a middle-aged lover, tells his friend to stop judging him. He tells him to let him love. He says that if his friend really want to criticize something, he can talk about his poor health, his old age, or his failure in life. His friend can focus on improving himself, like earning money, learning new things, or getting a job. His friend can respect kings or powerful people. He can do whatever he wants. But he should leave the speaker alone and let him love.
Stanza 2—His Love is Harmless
The speaker now asks: how is harmed by his love? Has any ship drowned because of his heavy sighs? Have his tears flooded any land? Has his sadness delayed the coming of spring? Has the heat of love in his body caused any disease or death by plague? He says people are still doing their regular work. Soldiers still fight wars and lawyers still find people to argue with. So, he and his beloved can love each other.
Stanza 3—They Become One in Love
In this stanza, the speaker says that others can call him and his lover anything. They might call them silly insects like flies. He says they are like candles (tapers) too. They are slowing burning themselves for love. Their love has both strength (like an eagle) and peace (like a dove). Their relationship is like the mystery of the phoenix, a bird that dies and is born again from the ashes. He says that he and his lover are like one being made from two bodies—together they are complete. Through this love, they both die and rise again like the phoenix (It means they consume their love love and become fresh again).
Stanza 4—They are Saints of Love
The speaker says even if they cannot live, they are ready to die for their love. Even if they do not get a proper grave or funeral, their love story will live on in poetry. Even if their love story is not written in history books, they will be remembered in sonnets and poems. Just like a small, beautiful pot (urn) or great tomb hold the ashes of great heroes, their love will be remembered by poems. Through these love-poems, people will understand and accept that they became something holy. They became saints of love.
Stanza 5—Their Love is a Model to Follow
The speaker imagines that in the future, people will remember them like saints. They will pray to them and say, “You two who loved each other so purely—you made each other your world. Your love was peaceful. You captured the whole world in your eyes.” The speaker says people will pray to learn loving so purely like him. The speaker’s love will become a model.