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BeerAd

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So my buddy needs to understand this poem and he is having a hard time. I like to believe I know a little and although I love it, I don't really know much :fly:

I think some of you also enjoy it so I figured I would see what you guys thought...

THE UNDERTAKING.
by John Donne


I HAVE done one braver thing
Than all the Worthies did ;
And yet a braver thence doth spring,
Which is, to keep that hid.

It were but madness now to impart
The skill of specular stone,
When he, which can have learn'd the art
To cut it, can find none.

So, if I now should utter this,
Others—because no more
Such stuff to work upon, there is—
Would love but as before.

But he who loveliness within
Hath found, all outward loathes,
For he who color loves, and skin,
Loves but their oldest clothes.

If, as I have, you also do
Virtue in woman see,
And dare love that, and say so too,
And forget the He and She ;

And if this love, though placèd so,
From profane men you hide,
Which will no faith on this bestow,
Or, if they do, deride ;

Then you have done a braver thing
Than all the Worthies did ;
And a braver thence will spring,
Which is, to keep that hid.
Click to expand...
 
BeerAd said:
Any ideas? I hadn't heard of John Donne
Click to expand...

These caught my eye:

But he who loveliness within
Hath found, all outward loathes,
For he who color loves, and skin,
Loves but their oldest clothes.

If, as I have, you also do
Virtue in woman see,
And dare love that, and say so too,
And forget the He and She ;

It looks like he is saying that when you love someone you love their essence and not what we see on earth.

From what I understand (google) the "Worthies" were a group of men that were formed around Donne's lifetime. He's most likely showing that his way of loving is either better or the way that god would want us to love. God isn't mentioned but because of Donne's heavy religious emphasis in other works we can assume that god would be included in this poem as well.
 
Dharma1521 said:
These caught my eye:

But he who loveliness within
Hath found, all outward loathes,
For he who color loves, and skin,
Loves but their oldest clothes.

If, as I have, you also do
Virtue in woman see,
And dare love that, and say so too,
And forget the He and She ;

It looks like he is saying that when you love someone you love their essence and not what we see on earth.

From what I understand (google) the "Worthies" were a group of men that were formed around Donne's lifetime. He's most likely showing that his way of loving is either better or the way that god would want us to love. God isn't mentioned but because of Donne's heavy religious emphasis in other works we can assume that god would be included in this poem as well.
Click to expand...

Dam, thats pretty good hun and def helps me understand it better... thanks lover

anyone else?
 
god, i can't believe i am doing this. i am hating you, brad, until i open the next beer.


he loves someone. he doesn't need to tell the world. they either wouldn't understand or wouldn't care, only he has taken the time to peer into that person's soul. spouting off about his girl would just present an opportunity for other people to make fun.


i feel dirty. there's a reason i am an engineer.
 
Dharma1521 said:
He's most likely showing that his way of loving is either better or the way that god would want us to love. God isn't mentioned but because of Donne's heavy religious emphasis in other works we can assume that god would be included in this poem as well.
Click to expand...



love is a religion
 
mikey said:
god, i can't believe i am doing this. i am hating you, brad, until i open the next beer.


he loves someone. he doesn't need to tell the world. they either wouldn't understand or wouldn't care, only he has taken the time to peer into that person's soul. spouting off about his girl would just present an opportunity for other people to make fun.


i feel dirty. there's a reason i am an engineer.
Click to expand...

hmmmm, thats pretty much what I came to but again, more aprils angle... someone else in the picture
 
Hey guys I am Beer Ad's friend and am the one requesting help for this poem. For my class I have to prepare an analysis of the above poem. Quite frankly I am horrible at poems and googled failed me in my attempts to find some notes about this poem. Please keep in mind that this is perfectly okay. We were advised to look up notes on the internet as long as we stay away from paraphrased versions.

I tried to interprete some of the stanzas, so please feel free to comment.

Stanza 1:
After doing some research I saw that the "Worthies" were 9 mythological figures in the Middle Ages who were beleived to personify the ideas of Chivalry.

So my interpretation of the first stanza is that the speaker has done something braver than the worthies. So thus a braver side of him has been revealed, but he wants to keep it hidden.

^^ My interpretation seems to literal.


Stanza 2:
I am pretty sure about this one actually.

So my interpretation of the second stanza is that is it madness to make known how to cut a gem stone, when there are no gem stones to be found.
 
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