The Relic by John Donne | Summary, Analysis, Explanation
Hello and welcome to the Discourse. The Relic is one of the most intriguing and intelligently carved metaphysical poems of John Donne which can be interpreted in several ways. The poem is full of conceit, intelligently put forth wit and imaginative metaphors. The poem has two sets of intelligently put comparisons or conceits. It is suggested that John Donne wrote this poem with his friend and benefactor Mrs. Magdalen Herbert in his mind as he mentions the name Magdalen in the poem itself as the poet’s platonic lover. However, The Relic, as the name suggests is specifically a spiritual love poem with a deep religious touch. Hence, the comparison appears more with the biblical Saint Magdalen who was the first to meet Christ on the morning of the original Easter in a garden near the tomb from where he rose from the dead.
In a way, the dead poet compares himself and his beloved as Christ and Lady Magdalen in future prospects. The poet is already dead in the poem and he is in his grave.
The Title The Relic
The Relic was first published in John Donne’s collection Songs and Sonnets which contain mostly secular poems. This poem may also be interpreted as a secular love poem that has nothing to do with religion. However, right from the title of the beginning to its end, John Donne used strong and effective religious imagery. Relic is something that remains even after someone’s death and serves as the memento of that person. Religious relics of saints and great people often become venerated items of spiritual importance. Often such religious relics are attached with some miracles. In the poem too, the poet talks about such relics that may become spiritually significant and he offers the list of miracles that his and his beloved’s relics already have performed.
Structure of the Poem
The poem has three stanzas with 11 lines in each stanza. The lines are in varied iambic meters with no definite pattern. The 5th and 7th lines are shorter than others in all three stanzas.
Most of the lines are in iambic pentameter but there are many exceptions. The rhythm scheme of The Relic is aabbcddceee. The poet is dead who tells his love story after death as a first-person narrator and this provides an outworld feeling to the poem, yet, the poem appears lively and relatable. The poet suggests that his love for his beloved was so pure that in the future they will be revered as saints, miraculous lovers to be worshipped by people. The poet laughs about such possibilities as he says that he doesn’t believe in such miracles. Yet, he offers some insight into his relationship with his lover with whom he was engraved.
Summary of The Relic
When my grave is broke up again
Some second guest to entertain,
(For graves have learn'd that woman head,
To be to more than one a bed)
And he that digs it, spies
A bracelet of bright hair about the bone,
Will he not let'us alone,
And think that there a loving couple lies,
Who thought that this device might be some way
To make their souls, at the last busy day,
Meet at this grave, and make a little stay?
The poem begins with the dead poet describing a situation after his death. A long time has passed and it is presumed that his body has been decomposed. Thus, people dig his grave to use it again to bury a dead body of a woman who recently died. However, the poet’s dead body wasn’t alone in that grave but along with him, his beloved was also buried in the same grave. The gravedigger when breaks his grave, observes a bone wrapped in a bracelet or ring of bright white hair. The grave digger assumes that this must be a grave of a loving couple who died together and were buried together so that they may remain together after death. The poet posits whether the gravedigger leaves them alone, or will he introduce the new guest, a ghost or a dead body of a woman in that grave. The poet suggests that women are often considered to share their bed and man with other women. Here, the poet is actually not castigating women as promiscuous, rather he suggests that men are promiscuous and can have more than one woman in their bed. However, the poet is in true love with the woman he was buried with. So he wishes the gravedigger to leave them alone and not force a new guest or ghost into the same grave.
The limb bone of the poet and the bracelet of hair of his beloved are the two relics. The grave is too old and it wasn’t supposed to have any remnant of the dead bodies buried in them. Yet, the hair is Bright as lively and the bone is intact, this is a miracle as the poet suggests.
John Donne employed double alliteration in Line 6 and it makes it the punch line of the first stanza.
“A bracelet of bright hair about the bone” (br, br, b, b, b)
It is a device by which the loving couple declares their loyalty even after death. John Donne employed a deep conceit here as he compares his bone and his lover’s hair with that of King Arthur and Queen Guinevere. In the 12th century, it was rumored that the grave of King Arthur and his wife Queen Guinevere was found at Glastonbury, England. In that grave at Glastonbury, a presumed bone of a limb was found wrapped in a ring of yellow hair. While that hair appeared healthy, when the monks tried to pick that hair they turned into ashes.
John Donne uses that famous episode of King Arthur’s grave to offer conceit in the poem. However, he declares that he doesn’t believe in such miracles. Thus, he is actually refuting the rumor that the grave at Glastonbury was that of King Arthur and Queen Guinevere. He is passing a negative judgment against superstitions and miracles.
If this fall in a time, or land,
Where mis-devotion doth command,
Then he that digs us up, will bring
Us, to the Bishop, and the King,
To make us relics; then
Thou shalt be a Mary Magdalen, and I
A something else thereby;
All women shall adore us, and some men;
And since at such time, miracles are sought,
I would have that age by this paper taught
What miracles we harmless lovers wrought.
In the second stanza, the poet attains a highly satirical tone. He continues to discuss the relics, the limb bone, and the bracelet of hair. In normal times when Reason supersedes belief, these relics will be ignored. However, if the remains of the poet and his beloved are found in such a time period when people pay less attention to reason and are engaged in devoting themselves to wrong things or perception, then the gravedigger will consider these relics as important. He will then inform the Bishop and the King about these relics, the hidden spiritual treasure that was just found.
In these lines, it appears that John Donne is criticizing Catholicism as a mis-devotion. The rumor of King Arthur and Queen Guinevere’s relics gained momentum during the Catholic years of England. However, John Donne is critical of both sects, Catholicism and Protestantism.
“Us, to the Bishop, and the King,”
He is anti-Catholic as he mentioned the supremacy of the Bishop. He is criticizing Anglicans too who maintained that the King is the supreme leader.
In such times of Mis-Devotion, the poet and his beloved, recognized by the limb bone and the hair lock will be considered as relics of some great saints of love. In the next line, Donne brings upon the conceit as he compares his beloved with Mary Magdalen, the Saint who was the first person to meet Christ after he took rebirth on the original morning of Easter. She was the witness of Christ’s crucifixion and burial and later on, she became the witness of Christ’s resurrection. Mary Magdalen was a sinner, a prostitute who later became an ardent follower of Christ and attained sainthood.
Since the poet is comparing his mistress to Saint Magdalen, he indirectly suggests that he will be considered no less than the Christ in such times of Mis-Devotion. However, people seek miracles and magic from such great saints. The poet wonders what sort of miracles he and his beloved can show while he knows that miracles don’t happen??
First, we loved well and faithfully,
Yet knew not what we loved, nor why,
Difference of sex no more we knew
Than our guardian angels do;
Coming and going, we
Perchance might kiss, but not between those meals;
Our hands ne'er touched the seals,
Which nature, injured by late law, sets free
These miracles we did; but now 'alas,
All measure and all language, I should pass,
Should I tell what a miracle she was.
In the third stanza, the poet suggests the miracles that he and his beloved really performed during their lifetime. The poet doesn’t believe in our worldly miracles but he suggests that what he and his beloved suffered and did were no less than miracles.
The first miracle that the couple performed was to love well, and remain loyal and faithful to each other. While they were in deep love, they never came to know, why they loved each other or for what. That is, they were in self-less love with no expectations from each other. The second miracle was that they didn’t love like men and women or of different sex. That is, their love was spiritual, it was asexual, it was not carnal affection. They love each other as if they were angels. He mentions that they might have kissed each other as coursey during their meals together. But they never hold their hands together nor broke the seals that maintain virginity. The poet mentions that all these were no less than miracles as true spiritual love is hard to attain.
In the last lines, John Donne hints that he not only compared his lover with Saint Mary Magdalen, but he was also remembering his benefactor and friend Mrs. Magdalen Herbert. He says that now when his beloved is no more to experience (while the poet himself is also dead), he has no words or language to describe how great, how miraculous his beloved was. This nuptial and Platonic love defies description and is beyond the powers of language and communication.
The Relic is one of the most complex poems by John Donne. In this poem, he describes his philosophy of spiritual love. He brings upon the themes of death, love, and religion. He is satirical against the superstitions and miracles, and the ills of religion. He makes jokes about superstitions and rumors related to King Arthur and Queen Guinevere and Saint Magdalen. While raising these grave serious issues in a poetic entertaining and delighting manner, John Donne succeeds in expressing his admiration for his benefactor and supporter Mrs. Magdalen Herbert.
This is it for today. We will discuss another noteworthy poem by John Donne in the upcoming video. Please stay connected with the Discourse. Thanks and Regards!
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