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Selected Poems
A new selection spanning the breadth of Donne’s verse One of England’s preeminent poets, John Donne’s poems are among the most passionate, profound, and spiritual in the English language. This rich representation reflects the wide diversity of his poetry. From such witty items as “The Flea,” which transforms the image of a louse into something marvelous, to the intimate and intense Holy Sonnets, Donne breathed new vigor into poetry by drawing lucid and often startling metaphors from the world in which he lived.
336 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
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About the author
John Donne
878 books701 followersJohn Donne was an English poet, preacher and a major representative of the metaphysical poets of the period. His works are notable for their realistic and sensual style and include sonnets, love poetry, religious poems, Latin translations, epigrams, elegies, songs, satires and sermons. His poetry is noted for its vibrancy of language and inventiveness of metaphor, especially as compared to that of his contemporaries.
Despite his great education and poetic talents, he lived in poverty for several years, relying heavily on wealthy friends. In 1615 he became an Anglican priest and, in 1621, was appointed the Dean of St Paul's Cathedral in London.
Despite his great education and poetic talents, he lived in poverty for several years, relying heavily on wealthy friends. In 1615 he became an Anglican priest and, in 1621, was appointed the Dean of St Paul's Cathedral in London.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
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March 30, 2017endlessly beautiful
December 13, 2022
I didn’t like it
January 29, 2018
Not a review; just some personal considerations.
(1) For me, the meter of a poem is what holds it together and all the other poetic devices are extra. Donne apparently regards it as another poetic device, and he takes far more care over the sound and meaning of the words. While I can't deny this is the correct approach for the poet, it does mean I struggle to appreciate Donne, especially his secular poems (his sacred poems, perhaps appropriately, adhere more strictly to the rules).
(2) If you haven't read a given Donne poem at least half a dozen times, you haven't a hope of getting anything like all the meaning out of it.
(1) For me, the meter of a poem is what holds it together and all the other poetic devices are extra. Donne apparently regards it as another poetic device, and he takes far more care over the sound and meaning of the words. While I can't deny this is the correct approach for the poet, it does mean I struggle to appreciate Donne, especially his secular poems (his sacred poems, perhaps appropriately, adhere more strictly to the rules).
(2) If you haven't read a given Donne poem at least half a dozen times, you haven't a hope of getting anything like all the meaning out of it.
April 25, 2018
Pleasantly surprised! Obviously, I wouldn't have read this collection if it wasn't for English Literature A-Level, but I'm glad I was forced to. One hugely important thing studying English has given me is a greater appreciation for poetry. No small feat, considering how I used to despise it at GCSE.
January 12, 2009
Core Humanities 3: Renaissance
September 12, 2016
This guy isn't a bad poet, but I found his themes so repetitive that I can't really give this collection more that two stars
January 24, 2024
I really don't think I am qualified to judge the poetry: John Donne is clearly a genius, and I suspect if there are poems in here I don't get (and there are a lot of these) it's probably me rather than him.
So it's really the arrangement: spelling and punctuation modern, so at least you don't have to struggle through old-spelling editions, well arranged and printed and clearly headed (though there's no real evidence that the titles are his, mostly coming from his early editors) with notes that (sometimes) elucidate the meanings of the poems.
And they've got to be arranged somehow: here is a man none of whose poetry was published in his lifetime, and was only collected by "friends" in various manuscript editions (some of which were tidied up to make them "better"), and most of whose poetry is undated (and, in many cases, impossible to date even within a ten year window), so what order do you put them in?
Ilona Bell has largely decided thematic order: we start with sex and naked women, move though friendship poems, and finish with God and death. This is a similar ordering to recent Rochester collections, and implies that the poet moved on from earthly things to heavenly ones. As the datings on the few poems that Bell does give dates to shows, this just isn't how the poets worked (in either case): these three obsessions were equal throughout his life, and one never knew, when receiving a Donne manuscript, which one one would be getting.
Having the friendship poems in the middle is somewhat offputting, too: Donne's references are so obscure, and the situations too individual, in places, to make one think anything more than "Gosh, it must be nice to have a poet as a friend". A lot of this needs more notes to make much sense of, and even then (I've spoken to a Donne scholar) a lot of the answers to any questions are "We don't know".
The sex poems are great fun. This was a man with great admiration of the female body, and also utterly aware of how rubbish men were at relationships. I have a friend who reckons that anyone who can quote (less obvious) Donne to her is in with a shot.
I find the religious poetry really moving: even at four hundred years' difference, and a completely different religious outlook, Donne's poetry is never preachy, but is (I think) utterly heartfelt. Touching.
So it's really the arrangement: spelling and punctuation modern, so at least you don't have to struggle through old-spelling editions, well arranged and printed and clearly headed (though there's no real evidence that the titles are his, mostly coming from his early editors) with notes that (sometimes) elucidate the meanings of the poems.
And they've got to be arranged somehow: here is a man none of whose poetry was published in his lifetime, and was only collected by "friends" in various manuscript editions (some of which were tidied up to make them "better"), and most of whose poetry is undated (and, in many cases, impossible to date even within a ten year window), so what order do you put them in?
Ilona Bell has largely decided thematic order: we start with sex and naked women, move though friendship poems, and finish with God and death. This is a similar ordering to recent Rochester collections, and implies that the poet moved on from earthly things to heavenly ones. As the datings on the few poems that Bell does give dates to shows, this just isn't how the poets worked (in either case): these three obsessions were equal throughout his life, and one never knew, when receiving a Donne manuscript, which one one would be getting.
Having the friendship poems in the middle is somewhat offputting, too: Donne's references are so obscure, and the situations too individual, in places, to make one think anything more than "Gosh, it must be nice to have a poet as a friend". A lot of this needs more notes to make much sense of, and even then (I've spoken to a Donne scholar) a lot of the answers to any questions are "We don't know".
The sex poems are great fun. This was a man with great admiration of the female body, and also utterly aware of how rubbish men were at relationships. I have a friend who reckons that anyone who can quote (less obvious) Donne to her is in with a shot.
I find the religious poetry really moving: even at four hundred years' difference, and a completely different religious outlook, Donne's poetry is never preachy, but is (I think) utterly heartfelt. Touching.
December 14, 2023
I read this collection of John Donne's poetry alongside "Super-Infinite", a new biography of the poet, and I definitely recommend the pairing, which enriched my reading of both texts. Donne is an accomplished poet, and his work is playful, clever (sometimes to the point of inaccessibility), and often lovely. Nevertheless, I'm afraid I dispute some scholars' characterisation of him as one of our greatest love poets: his love poetry is performative and narcissistic, and far more concerned with celebrating the poet's wicked wit than the object of his affections. I find here little genuine emotion or vulnerability and, consequently, little truth. Further, some of his poems are misogynistic to a degree that (even accounting for the time period in which they are written) I find quite uncomfortable.
Certainly, there are some exceptions to this: in particular, I consider "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning" masterful, and I enjoyed several other love poems, including "The Relic", "Song", and "Elegy: to His Mistress Going to Bed".
On the whole, however, it's his later religious poetry that I most admire. Ironically, these poems are full of passionate longing and vulnerability, and consequently feel more genuinely like "love poetry" than his early work written explicitly in that genre. I was glad to end, therefore, on a more positive note. Nevertheless, while I'm sure I'll come back to several of Donne's poems that I've now earmarked as favourites, and I did enjoy the collection as a whole, I can't say he's earned a place among my favourite poets.
Certainly, there are some exceptions to this: in particular, I consider "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning" masterful, and I enjoyed several other love poems, including "The Relic", "Song", and "Elegy: to His Mistress Going to Bed".
On the whole, however, it's his later religious poetry that I most admire. Ironically, these poems are full of passionate longing and vulnerability, and consequently feel more genuinely like "love poetry" than his early work written explicitly in that genre. I was glad to end, therefore, on a more positive note. Nevertheless, while I'm sure I'll come back to several of Donne's poems that I've now earmarked as favourites, and I did enjoy the collection as a whole, I can't say he's earned a place among my favourite poets.
February 10, 2025
I had to read this for my English Literature A-level class and you have no idea how dreary it was. I am so done with Donne. All of his poems are either hating women or acting all hoity-toity about romance, and it ultimately depends on whether the poem was intended for his fellow snobbish men to see him as really intelligent or he's trying to get laid.
I only read the poems that were on my syllabus, but I am not reading the rest.
I only read the poems that were on my syllabus, but I am not reading the rest.
April 17, 2024
i can definitely see why donne is a good and arguably groundbreaking poet - i just don’t think they’re really my kind of thing. ilona bell’s introduction was iconic though and nearly made me forgive donne for all the rubbish bits
July 7, 2023
I don’t like poetry but i love love and Donnes metaphors are strangely effective no matter how weird they get.
December 15, 2024
Some absolute bangers but most are quite similar :(
November 13, 2025
incredible use of words in an unconventional way to get a point across. love his poems on Divinity and our relationship with God
November 1, 2025
I feel like John Donne is a master of getting into the heads of various created speakers. From scorned lovers to those that fall in love. His poetry has been incredibly interesting to analyze and get into. I don’t really think that it is fair of me to rank this collection as I liked his love sonnets and holy sonnets, but felt like I was struggling through the elegies. It is all over the place and I felt like there is too much to say about his work. A lot of mixed feelings but overall I enjoyed reading through his work.
July 10, 2019
That most masculine of the English Metaphysical Poets!
Go and catch a falling star,
Get with child a mandrake root,
Tell me where all past years are,
Or who cleft the devil's foot,
Teach me to hear mermaids singing,
Or to keep off envy's stinging,
And find
What wind
Serves to advance an honest mind.
Go and catch a falling star,
Get with child a mandrake root,
Tell me where all past years are,
Or who cleft the devil's foot,
Teach me to hear mermaids singing,
Or to keep off envy's stinging,
And find
What wind
Serves to advance an honest mind.
May 15, 2019
Too pompous for my taste. Funny enough the word "dildo" accured more often than I had expected for 17th century poetry.
April 16, 2020
"One short sleep past, we wake eternally,
And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die." - Holy Sonnet X (Death Be Not Proud)
And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die." - Holy Sonnet X (Death Be Not Proud)
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews