The Broken Heart
By John Donne
He is stark mad, whoever says,
That he hath been in love an hour,
Yet not that love so soon decays,
But that it can ten in less space devour ;
Who will believe me, if I swear
That I have had the plague a year?
Who would not laugh at me, if I should say
I saw a flash of powder burn a day?Ah, what a trifle is a heart,
If once into love’s hands it come !
All other griefs allow a part
To other griefs, and ask themselves but some ;
They come to us, but us love draws ;
He swallows us and never chaws ;
By him, as by chain’d shot, whole ranks do die ;
He is the tyrant pike, our hearts the fry.If ’twere not so, what did become
Of my heart when I first saw thee?
I brought a heart into the room,
But from the room I carried none with me.
If it had gone to thee, I know
Mine would have taught thine heart to show
More pity unto me ; but Love, alas !
At one first blow did shiver it as glass.Yet nothing can to nothing fall,
Nor any place be empty quite ;
Therefore I think my breast hath all
Those pieces still, though they be not unite ;
And now, as broken glasses show
A hundred lesser faces, so
My rags of heart can like, wish, and adore,
But after one such love, can love no more.
Summary of The Broken Heart
- Popularity of “The Broken Heart”: “The Broken Heart” by John Donne, one of the greatest metaphysical poets and writers, is a sad poetic piece. Although it is unknown when he wrote it, one thing is certain it got published after his death. Donne uses conceits and metaphors to show the pain and suffering love brings when rejected. Also, the poem highlights how some people endure these pains silently, while it brings madness and insanity to some. The poem, however, has won fame because of the representation of love as a powerful feeling.
- “The Broken Heart” As a Representative of Sorrow: This love poem begins when the speaker says that a person is mad if he claims he does not feel any loss or pain, even if he was in love for some time. However, love enters life instantly but takes ages to wane. He compares this mad person to the one who says he has been plagued and that he has seen gunpowder flash for the whole day. He implies that the pain felt in love is extreme and much more than other grieves. It swallows the victim and does not chaw. Also, the pain devours a person, and its attack is strong enough to bring large-scale destruction. Later, the speaker talks about the pain he endured when the lady he loved rejected him. The pain of rejection has shattered his heart into many pieces. He compares his torn heart to a rag incapable of loving anyone ever.
- Major Themes in “The Broken Heart”: Lost love, pain, and rejection are the major themes of the poem. The poem presents a drastic situation where a person faces rejection in love. It shows how love is capable of destroying one’s emotions. Throughout the poem, the speaker talks about love as an all-consuming emotion far more potent than other emotions like sorrow and anger. He further argues that love is sudden, unlike rage and grief, but other emotions end shortly. In contrast, rejection in love consumes the whole heart, beating all other negative emotions. In other words, the speaker says that love is the most powerful emotion that makes people vulnerable, weak, and sensitive.
Analysis of Literary Devices Used in The Broken Heart
literary devices are tools that give simple poems a unique, distinct touch. The writers use these devices to express their ideas, emotions, and feelings in a better way. John Donne used literary devices used in this poem, whose analysis is as follows.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /e/ in “But from the room I carried none with me” and the sound of /o/ in “More pity unto me; but Love, alas.”
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /t/ in “To other griefs, and ask themselves but some” and the sound of /n/ in “And now, as broken glasses show.”
- Enjambment: It is defined as a thought in verse that does not come to an end at a line break; rather, it rolls over to the next line. For example;
“And now, as broken glasses show
A hundred lesser faces, so
My rags of heart can like, wish, and adore,
But after one such love, can love no more.”
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. John Donne used imagery in this poem, such as “Mine would have taught thine heart to show”, “My rags of heart can like, wish, and adore” and “He swallows us and never chaws.”
- Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between objects different in nature. The poet used ‘love’ as an extended metaphor to show how this powerful emotion makes people stand on the verge of destruction.
- Rhetorical Question: Rhetorical question is a question that is not asked to receive an answer; it is just posed to make the point clear. John Donne posed rhetorical questions at two places in the poem to emphasize his point, such as “Of my heart when I first saw thee?” and “That I have had the plague a year??”
- Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings different from the literal meanings. The poem shows symbols, such as sadness, broken heart, rejection, and life to present love.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in The Broken Heart
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 descriptive yet formal and poetic diction.
- End Rhyme: End rhyme is used to make the stanza melodious. John Donne has used end rhyme in this poem, such as; “some/come”, “say/day” and “fall/all.”
- Rhyme Scheme: The poem follows an ABAB rhyme scheme, and this pattern continues until the end.
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are four stanzas in this poem, with each comprising eight verses.
Quotes to be Used
The following lines are useful to quote for a person who is good at hiding his feelings from others.
“He is stark mad, whoever says,
That he hath been in love an hour,
Yet not that love so soon decays,
But that it can ten in less space devour.”
