To the Countess of Bedford: Reason is our Soul's
John Donne addresses this verse epistle to the Countess of Bedford, framing reason as the soul's left hand and faith as its right hand, both of which reach toward divinity, which he identifies with her. He states that the love others feel for her, who enjoy the blessing of her presence, grows from reason, while his own love grows from faith alone. He compares this to a squint left-handedness: though ungraceful, one cannot do without that hand, and so his faith serves not to increase but to express his devotion, so that as he believes, he also understands. He explains that he therefore studies her first through her saints, the friends whom her choice glorifies, then through her deeds, her ways of granting access and exercising restraint, and through what she reads and what she herself composes. But soon the reasons why she is loved by everyone grow infinite and pass beyond reason's reach, so he falls back upon implicit faith, resting on what the Catholic voice teaches: that she is good, and that no heretic denies it; and even if one did, she would remain good regardless, just as rocks rooted deep beneath the surface are washed by waves but neither undermined nor overthrown. Donne observes that everything naturally grows a balsamum, a healing balm, to keep it fresh and new, provided it is not injured by outward blows, and he identifies her birth and beauty as this balm within her. Beyond that, he says her learning, religion, virtue, and similar qualities have compounded into a mithridate, a universal antidote, whose power keeps off or cures whatever might be done or said against her. Yet he clarifies that this is not merely her medicine but her food, a diet suited to her nature, for she is, he declares, the first good angel to appear in woman's shape since the world's frame was established. Since she is thus God's masterpiece, and his agent for drawing human love toward the divine, Donne urges her to act as she does and to make her return home a gracious one, bestowing this earthly life upon that heavenly end, so that she makes one life out of two. He closes by asking God's help, affirming that he would not wish to miss her in that other life for all the good she can do him here.
By John Donne · First published 1633 · Genre: Metaphysical Poetry, Verse Epistle, Dedicatory Poetry · 461 words
First lines
Madam- / Reason is our soul's left hand, faith her right; / By these we reach divinity, that's you; / Their loves, who have the blessing of your light, / Grew from their reason; mine from fair faith grew.
But as, although a squint left-handedness / Be ungracious, yet we cannot want that hand; / So would I-not to increase, but to express / My faith-as I believe, so understand.
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To the Countess of Bedford: Reason is our Soul's Left Hand, Faith her Right 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: Metaphysical Poetry, Verse Epistle, Dedicatory Poetry, Religious Poetry, Occasional Poetry
- Length: 461 words
- Structure: 1 section, 9 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)
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Genres
- Metaphysical Poetry — Exemplifies Donne's signature style with elaborate conceits (reason and faith as hands of the soul, balsamum and mithridate as metaphors for preservation), paradoxical thought, and intellectual density exploring abstract philosophical concepts through startling and unified imagery.
- Verse Epistle — Structured as a formal poetic letter directly addressing 'Madam' (the Countess of Bedford), employing direct address, argumentation, and personal address characteristic of epistolary poetry traditions.
- Dedicatory Poetry — Primarily functions to honor and praise a specific aristocratic patron, using elevated rhetoric, compliments, and formalized reverence typical of dedicatory verse written for nobles.
- Religious Poetry — Central themes explore the philosophical relationship between reason and faith in approaching divinity, invoke theological concepts (angels, Catholic doctrine), and engage substantively with spiritual epistemology.
Tags
metaphysical · philosophical · theological · reason · faith · soul · spirituality · dualism · epistemology · meditation · devotional · patronage