To Mr. Edward Guilpin by John Donne

Name: To Mr. Edward Guilpin
Author: John Donne

John Donne addresses this verse letter to Edward Guilpin, likening his own poems to lame, slimy rhymes bred in the low vale that nonetheless strive toward perfection and fly, carrying much of the writer's love and heart, up to the Parnassus where Guilpin resides. Donne tells Guilpin that from that height he oversees London, whereas Donne himself, by staying in London, has been too much overseen. He describes London as gripped by a dearth of pleasure: the theatres stand filled with emptiness, and every street and way is as lank and thin as a woman who was delivered the day before. Nothing stirs his spleen to laughter except bearbaitings or the exercises of the Law. For this reason he resolves to leave London and strive, in the country, to retrieve the pleasure that has fled from the city. He urges Guilpin to do the same, and not to gather sustenance sparingly like a bee filling only its thighs with honey, but instead to load himself as fully as a Russian merchant loads a whole vessel, and then, come winter, to retail that store back in London. He closes by invoking the sweets of Suffolk as Guilpin's garden, asking him to make that garden his hive and warehouse, from which the retrieved pleasure can later be dispensed.

By John Donne · First published 1633 · Genre: Verse Epistle, Metaphysical Poetry, Satirical Poetry · 236 words

First lines

Even as lame things thirst their perfection, so / The slimy rhymes bred in our vale below, / Bearing with them much of my love and heart, / Fly unto that Parnassus, where thou art. / There thou o'erseest London: here I have been / By staying in London, too much overseen. / Now pleasure's dearth our city doth posses, / Our theatres are filled with emptiness; / As lank and thin is every street and way / As a woman delivered yesterday. / Nothing whereat to laugh my spleen espies / But bearbaitings or Law exercise. / Therefore I'll leave it, and in the country strive / Pleasure, now fled from London, to retrieve. / Do thou so too: and fill not like a bee / Thy thighs with honey, but as plenteously / As Russian merchants, thyself's whole vessel load, / And then at winter retail it here abroad. / Bless us with Suffolk's sweets; and as that is / Thy garden, make thy hive and warehouse this.

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To Mr. Edward Guilpin is listed on Textopian as a poem by John Donne, dated 1633 CE.

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Work type: Poem
Author: John Donne
Date: 1633 CE
Language: English
Genres: Verse Epistle, Metaphysical Poetry, Satirical Poetry, Pastoral Poetry, Lyric Poetry
Length: 236 words
Structure: 1 section, 1 paragraphs
Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)

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Genres

Verse Epistle — The poem is a dedicatory poem formally addressed to Edward Guilpin, following the early modern tradition of epistolary verse where the speaker directly appeals to and praises a specific recipient.
Metaphysical Poetry — Exhibits characteristic Donne features including elaborate metaphors (lame things seeking perfection, women in childbirth, Russian merchants, bees), intellectual wit, and complex conceits that define the Metaphysical style.
Satirical Poetry — Contains sharp satire of London life, mocking empty theatres and urban culture ('Our theatres are filled with emptiness'), while criticizing the city's moral and cultural decline.
Pastoral Poetry — Employs the pastoral convention of contrasting corrupted urban life with idealized rural retreat, presenting the countryside as a place of natural pleasure and restoration.