A Lecture upon the Shadow
By John Donne
Stand still, and I will read to thee
A lecture, love, in love’s philosophy.
These three hours that we have spent,
Walking here, two shadows went
Along with us, which we ourselves produc’d.
But, now the sun is just above our head,
We do those shadows tread,
And to brave clearness all things are reduc’d.
So whilst our infant loves did grow,
Disguises did, and shadows, flow
From us, and our cares; but now ‘tis not so.
That love has not attain’d the high’st degree,
Which is still diligent lest others see.Except our loves at this noon stay,
We shall new shadows make the other way.
As the first were made to blind
Others, these which come behind
Will work upon ourselves, and blind our eyes.
If our loves faint, and westwardly decline,
To me thou, falsely, thine,
And I to thee mine actions shall disguise.
The morning shadows wear away,
But these grow longer all the day;
But oh, love’s day is short, if love decay.
Love is a growing, or full constant light,
And his first minute, after noon, is night.
Summary of A Lecture upon the Shadow
- Popularity of “A Lecture upon the Shadow”: Written by John Donne, the English metaphysical poet of the seventeenth century, this brilliant poem presents his thoughts on love. It first appeared in 1615 in the collection of 55 poems, Songs, and Sonnets. Despite comprising poems on the single theme of love, this collection displays variations in the thematic strands of different poems. This poem presents love as constantly growing with the passage of time and coming to zero when it is night. The presentation of love and its growth has made this poem popular among lovers.
- “A Lecture upon the Shadow” As a Representative of Love’s Growth: Presented in the shape of a lecture by a first-person speaker, the poem shows the philosophy of love discussed in a light manner. The speaker asks his beloved to stand still before he delivers the lecture on love. He goes on to state that when they walk together, their shadows also walk with them and when the sun comes on their heads, their shadows shorten, while their love grows with more clarity. However, this is the hard work of love that now their shadows start going to the west and becoming which means that both are falsely pretending their love. In other words, he means that when there is morning, their love is constantly growing, and it starts decaying when the light starts fading and by the night it ends. This is how love decays according to the speaker.
- Major Themes in “A Lecture upon the Shadow”: Transience of love, transformation in time, and growth and decay of love are major themes of this poem “A Lecture upon the Shadow.” The poet believes that when there is childhood, love starts growing over time, reaches its zenith at noon, and starts declining when the sun goes in the west. In other words, Donne means that like the shadows, love is also transient and witnesses ebb and flow with time. This transformation in time brings transformation in love. It could be that he means childhood, youth, and old age as showing the growth, peak, and decline of love. It also shows how love grows young, becomes intense, and then declines with time. In other words, Donne means that love does not stay constant.
Analysis of Literary Devices Used in A Lecture upon the Shadow
John Donne uses various literary devices to enhance the intended impact of his poem. Some of the major literary devices are as follows.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /a/ in “Walking here, two shadows went” and the sound of /o/ in “A lecture, love, in love’s philosophy.”
- Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line in quick succession, such as the sound of /s/ as in “stand still” or /w/ in “will work.”
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /sh/ in “We shall new shadows make the other way” and the sound of /w/ in “The morning shadows wear away.”
- Enjambment: It is a device in which the meanings of verse roll over to the next without having any pause or punctuation mark. The sonnet shows the use of an enjambment, such as;
As the first were made to blind
Others, these which come behind
Will work upon ourselves, and blind our eyes.
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. John Donne used imagery in this poem, such as “Will work upon ourselves, and blind our eyes”, “our loves faint, and westwardly decline” and “The morning shadows wear away.”
- Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between objects different in nature. The poet compared love to a child, such as “infant love grows.”
- Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from the literal meanings. The poem shows symbols such as shadows, infant, sun, and noon to show how time changes love, and love changes with time.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in A Lecture upon the Shadow
Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is an analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.
- Diction: It means the type of language. The poem shows good use of formal and poetic diction.
- End Rhyme: It means the end rhyme of verses. The poet has shown the use of end rhyme such as thee/philosophy and spent/went.
- Rhyme Scheme: It means the use of rhyme in a stanza. The poet has used AABBCDDCEEEFF which continues in the second stanza as well.
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are two stanzas with each comprising thirteen verses.
- Tone: It means the voice of the text. The poem has a philosophical, rational, and then loving tone by the end.
Quotes to be Used
The following lines are useful to quote when talking about love and time and their relationship.
The morning shadows wear away,
But these grow longer all the day;
But oh, love’s day is short, if love decay.
Love is a growing, or full constant light,
And his first minute, after noon, is night.
