The Metaphysical Sonnets of John Donne and Mikolaj Sep Szarzynski: A Comparison
Kay, Magdalena
Early Modern Literary Studies 9.2 (September 2003)
Abstract
Two of the most extraordinary minds of the late Renaissance were poets: Englishman John Donne and Pole Mikolaj Sep Szarzynski. They also both wrote collections of sonnets. One may call them precursors of the Baroque, but their complexity defies periodization. The aptest label for them is the much-contested term “metaphysical.” They are exceptional for the uniquely personal character of their poetry, marked by ardent piety and a desperate need to come to terms with human existence. It is arguable whether they succeed. Man is divided, weak, and fearful; he is subject to pain, temptation, and doubt. Sep’s vision is irreprievably dark: ruled by external forces, man can never achieve salvation and win the “battle” of existence. God is a source of joy, but is unreachable. Donne allows the possibility of receiving divine love, as well as achieving salvation through repentance and Christ’s sacrifice. Both poets work out their ideas through paradox and syntactic play (dissonance; inversion; parallelism), which superimposes an additional layer of complexity upon their difficult thematics, and further prevents both poet and reader from supplying solutions to the problems presented.
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