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Elegy 5-His Picture (John Donne)
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A2 Unit 1-John Donne notes
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Elegy 5:His PictureFORM AND STRUCTURE
- ‘Here Take My Picture’ is a poem of leave taking
- This is a single stanza poem. The elongated nature of the poem evokes the
complicated emotions of the speaker as he bids an emotional farewell to his lover
- The poem is made up of rhyming couplets and has a regular rhythm (iambic
pentameter) The regularity of the rhythm and rhyme evokes the musings of the poet
as he faces the reality of leaving his lover
- Thematically, it is similar to ‘A Valediction Forbidding Mourning’- both poems deal
with separation and
LANGUAGE AND IMAGERY
Subject of the Poem
- ‘Here Take My Picture’ is a valediction poem in which the speaker gives his loved one
his picture as a parting gift.
- The picture acts as a central metaphor in the poem, providing an arena for the poet
to explore paradoxes of love
Body of Poem
- Line 1: “Here take my picture”- The use of the structural marker “here” creates an
imperative opening to the poem as the poet addresses his lover, offering her his
image. The use of the term “farewell” immediately introduces the theme of
departure and parting into the poem and conjures up the emotions associated with
those themes.
- Line 2: “Thine, in my heart”- The use of direct address, followed immediately by the
caesura intensely focuses the attention of the poem onto the speaker’s lover. The
reference to “soul” evokes the intensity of the speaker’s love. It does not simply
dwell on the surface but is something that is rooted deeply within the speaker. The
romantic concept of the soul is explored further in A Valediction Forbidding
Mourning.
- Line 3 and 4: “Tis like me now…’twill be more / When we are shadows both”- In the
poem, the picture acts as a symbol of longevity. While it is worth something as an
image of his likeness, it will take on greater significance when the speaker and the
subject have perished. The picture acts as a symbol of endurance, achieving what
humans are incapable of: retaining youth and triumphing over the inevitability of
human mortality.
- Line 5: “When weather-beaten I come back”- The suggestion of returning implies
the possibility of the speaker going to war and returning after several years. The
weather acts as a metonym for the various environmental factors that will change
the speaker’s appearance and render his image inaccurate. The weather also
suggests the challenges that distance and separation will force their relationship to
endure.
- Line 6: “with rude oars torn or sun beams tann’d”- Donne elucidates the range of
changes that might occur to his physical body. He states that his hands may become
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