Top Tens – Poetry & Literature: Top 10 Poetry (Honorable Mention) John Donne – To His Mistress Going to Bed

Yeah, that’s the look of a man I’d imagine to use metaphysical pick-up lines – Bust of John Donne photographed by Matthew Black, Wikipedia “John Donne”, license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en

 

 

(1654) JOHN DONNE – TO HIS MISTRESS GOING TO BED

 

One of the metaphysical poets. I don’t recall what makes a poet metaphysical but this poem would suggest that it’s being pretty raunchy.

 

“Licence my roving hands, and let them go,

Before, behind, between, above, below.

O my America! my new-found-land,

My kingdom, safeliest when with one man mann’d”

Now that’s metaphysics!

I don’t know how it would go down standing over your mistress and declaring her to be your America as saucy foreplay these days. It’s time to manifest your destiny, baby!

I do like how the poem finishes off (heh) with its version of that cheesy pick-up line – “You know what would look good on you? Me!”

 

To teach thee, I am naked first; why then

What needst thou have more covering than a man.

 

Posted in Top Tens and tagged , , , .

Leave a Reply