‘The Anniversary’ Flashcards
The Anniversary
All ___, and all their ____,
All glory of ____, beauties, wits,
The sun itself, which makes times, as they pass,
Is __ by a year now, than it was
When thou and I first one ____ saw.
All kings, and all their favourites,
All glory of honours, beauties, wits,
The sun itself, which makes times, as they pass,
Is elder by a year now, than it was
When thou and I first one another saw.
The Anniversary
All other things to thier ____ draw,
Only our love hath no ___;
This no ______ hath, nor yesterday;
______ it never ___ from us away,
But ___ keeps his first, last ______ day.
All other things to thier destruction draw,
Only our love hath no decay;
This no tomorrow hath, nor yesterday;
Running it never runs from us away,
But truly keeps his first, last, everlasting day.
What is ‘The Anniversary’ about?
The Anniversary by John Donne is a dramatic lyric in which the speaker celebrates his love which his lover, which is now one year old.
The central theme of ‘The Anniversary’ is the immortality of true love, which transcends death itself.
The Anniversary
Explain the first half of the beginning stanza:
All kings, and their favourites,
All glory I’d honours, beauties, wits,
The sun itself, which makes times as they pass,
Is elder by a year now, than it was
Was thou and I first one another saw.
Donned makes a magnificent list, but the list is given in order to belittle it.
The contents of the list are subject to the passing of time.
Everything on Donne’s magnificent list has been changed over time. All splendour fades.
The list is not a fanfare but instead a requiem; a funeral song, for how everything must one day end; except for the speaker and his lover, for their love will sustain them for ever after.
The Anniversary
What contrasts Donne’s ‘funeral song’ type list in the beginning of the first stanza?
Contrasting this is the lovers undying love, that not even time can tarnish (“ only our love hath no decay”)
The Anniversary
Explain the paradox: Running it never runs from us away
This paradox highlights the unchanging love, and how it survives. The ongoing love can never cease.
The Anniversary
What does the second stanza deal with?
The poets faces up to life’s stark reality and the inevitability of death.
The Anniversary
What is the first image of the 2nd stanza?
Donne pictures the two lovers lying in separate graves (context: unmarried couples were not permitted to share a grave in Donne’s time).
The Anniversary
Two ____ must hide thine and my ___;
If one might, ___ were no ____.
Alas! as well as other ____, we
—Who ____ enough in one ____ be —
Must leave at last in ____, these eyes and ears,
Two graves must hide thine and my corpse;
If one might, death were no divorce.
Alas! as well as other princes, we
—Who prince enough in one another be —
Must leave at last in death, these eyes and ears,
The Anniversary
Oft fed with true ___, and with sweet __ ___;
But would where nothing ___ but love
—All other thoughts being ___ —- then shall prove
This or a love ___ there above,
When ____ to their graves, ____ from their ____ remove.
Oft fed with true oaths, and with sweet salt tears;
But would where nothing dwells but love
—All other thoughts being inmates —- then shall prove
This or a love increaséd there above,
When bodies to their graves, souls from their graves remove.
The Anniversary
What metaphor is extended throughout the poem?
Extended royal conceit
The Anniversary
What is the purpose of the grave imagery in the second stanza?
- That death will not separate the lovers.
- The couples love is so strong that even death cannot separate them on a spiritual level.
- Death will free their loving souls from the prison of physical life.
- They will be reunited spiritually (‘where nothing dwells but love’) in heaven (‘love increased there love’)
The Anniversary
How is a regretful tone created in the 2nd stanza?
The mood is suddenly regretful at the thought of leaving behind love’s ‘true oaths and with sweet salt tears’.
The Anniversary
And then we shall be ____ blest;
But now no more than all the ___.
Here upon ___ we’re ___, and none but we
Can be such ___, nor of such ____ be.
And then we shall be thoroughly blest;
But now no more than all the rest.
Here upon earth we’re kings, and none but we
Can be such kings, nor of such subjects be.
The Anniversary
Who is so ___ as we? where none can do
___ to us, ___ one of us two.
True and false ___ let us ___,
Let us love, ___ and live, and add again
___ and years unto years, till we attain
To write ____; this is the second of our ____.
Who is so safe as we? where none can do
Treason to us, except one of us two.
True and false fears let us refrain,
Let us love nobly, and live, and add again
Years and years unto years, till we attain
To write threescore this is the second of our reign.
