Confined Love by John Donne (1633)
A speaker argues against the law confining a woman to loving only one man. He describes an unworthy man, false or weak himself, who sought to lessen his own pain and shame by directing his anger at womankind, and from this grew the law that a woman might know only one man. He questions whether such a restriction applies elsewhere in nature: sun, moon, and stars are not forbidden by law to shine wherever they please or to lend away their light; birds are not divorced or scolded if they leave their mate or lie abroad a night; beasts lose no jointures though they choose new lovers. He concludes that humankind is made worse than these other creatures. He then asks who would rig fair ships only to let them sit in harbours, never to seek out lands or deal with others, or build fine houses and plant trees and arbours only to lock them up or let them fall into ruin. He asserts that good is not good unless possessed by a thousand, and that confining it amounts to wasting it through greediness.
By John Donne · First published 1633 · Genre: Metaphysical Poetry, Love Poetry, Philosophical Poetry · 233 words
First lines
Some man unworthy to be possessor / Of old or new love, himself being false or weak, / Thought his pain and shame would be lesser, / If on womankind he might his anger wreak; / And thence a law did grow, / One might but one man know; / But are other creatures so?
Are sun, moon, or stars by law forbidden / To smile where they list, or lend away their light? / Are birds divorced or are they chidden / If they leave their mate, or lie abroad a night? / Beasts do no jointures lose / Though they new lovers choose; / But we are made worse than those.
What this Textopian page supports
Confined Love is listed on Textopian as a poem by John Donne, dated 1633 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: John Donne
- Date: 1633 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Metaphysical Poetry, Love Poetry, Philosophical Poetry, Lyric Poetry, Satirical Poetry
- Length: 233 words
- Structure: 1 section, 3 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
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- Work identity for Confined Love by John Donne
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
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Genres
- Metaphysical Poetry — Exhibits quintessential metaphysical traits including extended conceits (sun, moon, stars, ships, houses as analogies for love), intricate argumentation, intellectual wit, and the use of surprising comparisons to explore abstract philosophical concepts about love and possession.
- Love Poetry — The poem's primary subject is love and romantic relationships, specifically examining the constraints and expectations placed on lovers, though it critiques rather than celebrates conventional love.
- Philosophical Poetry — Engages in sustained logical reasoning about the nature of possession, freedom, and the inequitable social laws governing human relationships compared to natural phenomena and animals.
- Lyric Poetry — Functions as a personal meditation and expression of ideas through carefully crafted verse, employing imagistic language and emotional argumentation rather than narrative progression.
Tags
metaphysical poetry · love and restriction · paradox · metaphysical conceit · emotional confinement · romantic irony · desire versus constraint · 17th century English poetry · witty argumentation · intellectual love poetry · lover's paradox · constraint and freedom