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This is a poem which is best read on December 13th, but doesn't it express "end of the year" feelings to all of us?

A Nocturnal upon St. Lucy's Day
BY JOHN DONNE

'Tis the year's midnight, and it is the day's,
Lucy's, who scarce seven hours herself unmasks;
The sun is spent, and now his flasks
Send forth light squibs, no constant rays;
The world's whole sap is sunk;
The general balm th' hydroptic earth hath drunk,
Whither, as to the bed's feet, life is shrunk,
Dead and interr'd; yet all these seem to laugh,
Compar'd with me, who am their epitaph.

Study me then, you who shall lovers be
At the next world, that is, at the next spring;
For I am every dead thing,
In whom Love wrought new alchemy.
For his art did express
A quintessence even from nothingness,
From dull privations, and lean emptiness;
He ruin'd me, and I am re-begot
Of absence, darkness, death: things which are not.

All others, from all things, draw all that's good,
Life, soul, form, spirit, whence they being have;
I, by Love's limbec, am the grave
Of all that's nothing. Oft a flood
Have we two wept, and so
Drown'd the whole world, us two; oft did we grow
To be two chaoses, when we did show
Care to aught else; and often absences
Withdrew our souls, and made us carcasses.

But I am by her death (which word wrongs her)
Of the first nothing the elixir grown;
Were I a man, that I were one
I needs must know; I should prefer,
If I were any beast,
Some ends, some means; yea plants, yea stones detest,
And love; all, all some properties invest;
If I an ordinary nothing were,
As shadow, a light and body must be here.

But I am none; nor will my sun renew.
You lovers, for whose sake the lesser sun
At this time to the Goat is run
To fetch new lust, and give it you,
Enjoy your summer all;
Since she enjoys her long night's festival,
Let me prepare towards her, and let me call
This hour her vigil, and her eve, since this
Both the year's, and the day's deep midnight is.

great poem Jean! ^_^

Thanks for posting, Jean, it does seem apt for New Year. I haven't heard of St Lucy's Day, though?

Me neither, Shirley. I only know of it through Donne's poem! Here's a link to the Wikipedia entry for St Lucy's Day

Isn't this the same as Santa Lucia? I'm sure Laura posted about her day. Also there's a choral piece called Santa Lucia I think. It's a beautiful piece.

A great poem Jean, thanks for sharing it with us. I love John Donne.

Maybe Laura will say.

I think I know the piece you mean, Gill. At least I do play a piano arrangement of "Santa Lucia" which could well be from the same theme.

Yes I think it is the same saint. In Italy is on the 21st of december, and we say "Santa lucia, il giorno più corto che ci sia! which is more or less "saint Lucy the shortest day of all" - of course you miss the ryme!!!
There is a really famous napoletan song about her


P.S. Great poem Jean! John Donne is always John Donne - even if I prefere his "licentious" poems

That's the piece I play! Thank you Laura! And thanks for confirming what we in non-Catholic countries weren't sure about.

"Licentious" though? Wow! I know he wrote love poetry but he was a cleric after all... maybe there's an unexpurgated version I haven't read!!

I've just found this bit on Wikipedia:

"The poem "A Nocturnal upon S. Lucy's Day, Being the Shortest Day", concerns the poet's despair at the death of a loved one. In it Donne expresses a feeling of utter negation and hopelessness, saying that "I am every dead thing...re-begot / Of absence, darkness, death." This famous work was probably written in 1627 when both Donne's friend Lucy, Countess of Bedford, and his daughter Lucy Donne died. Three years later, in 1630, Donne wrote his will on Saint Lucy's day (13 December), the date the poem describes as "Both the year's, and the day's deep midnight.""

I had just thought it was about the year's ending, but evidently there's a lot more to it.

How did I miss this until now!?! Thank you Jean, that's a great poem to start the New Year with. :)

I have hesitated to post here because truthfully I don't really care for this poem. I tried to read it several times but couldn't even make it through the first verse.

Sorry Jean!

Not at all! :) It's always good to have dissonance - or at least an alternative view.

Would you like to say why you don't care for it, Leslie? (You don't have to, of course. Sometimes it's really tiresome having to give your mind to something you dislike!!)

I guess that I find it difficult to understand - the first two lines stump me, and the words themselves weren't enough to carry me past that difficulty.

When did Donne live? The trouble I am having with his language is similar to the trouble I sometimes experience with Shakespeare...

1572-1631, so yes, I guess that would have a lot to do with it, Leslie.

I personally studied him for "A" level (at 18) so some of his poetry is familiar to me, and the rest I can get a feel for because I'm a bit more used to the language.

Jean wrote: "That's the piece I play! Thank you Laura! And thanks for confirming what we in non-Catholic countries weren't sure about.

"Licentious" though? Wow! I know he wrote love poetry but he was a cleric ..."

He was a cleric in the second part of his life! In the first, when he started the socalled "methafisical" current, he was a real edonist! Give a look at his "The Flea"

Laura- yes, I remember that one!! I studied mainly the Songs and Sonnets - the metaphysical poetry - some holy sonnets.

It was the word "licentious" I was startled by. I think of it more as "sensual", and "The Flea" is a perfect example, yes! :)

In italian licenzioso is very similar to sensuale, maybe that's the reason. As you see also wikipedia call it erotic!

So they do! Well it takes all sorts, LOL. I remember as 18 year olds we were fairly disgusted by the theme of "The Flea."

Yes, I think there is a subtle but important difference between the words licentious and sensual.

Maybe we can agree on the term "erotic"?

But then again "A Nocturnal upon S. Lucy's Day, Being the Shortest Day" is more sensuous (rather than sensual or licentious) and isn't the sort of poetry you said you prefer by Donne.

Is he one of your favourite poets, Laura?

Jean wrote: "Maybe we can agree on the term "erotic"?

But then again "A Nocturnal upon S. Lucy's Day, Being the Shortest Day" is more sensuous (rather than sensual or licentious) and isn't the sort of poetry y..."

No, not particularly: I don't feel so confident with my english to fully appreciate poetry. E temd to read poetry in italian, and therefore the ones translated loose a little!
Who's my favourite poet?
I don't know ....

Can you suggest an Italian poet I should read, Laura? (In English translation?) Is it going to be Dante?

Where is an easy place to start?

With us is good way to start!! ;) Join us for some Dante this year!

I will try - but I am a total novice. How far have you all got?

Jean wrote: "Can you suggest an Italian poet I should read, Laura? (In English translation?) Is it going to be Dante?

Where is an easy place to start?"

I had The Sonnets of Petrarch recommended to me. Might be easier than starting with Dante!

Jean wrote: "I will try - but I am a total novice. How far have you all got?"

We have gotten nowhere as of yet. We'll be starting sometime this year, to read the first canti...canti...canti-something (Laura has a mindboggeling word which describes the 3 chunks of the book, and no I don't mean canto but similar)
So we'll be taking our time reading this.

Thanks both! Have added the Petrarch and will look out for your Dante readalong (?)

Canticle is the only other word I can think of. It's probably not that though.

Jean wrote: "Can you suggest an Italian poet I should read, Laura? (In English translation?) Is it going to be Dante?

Where is an easy place to start?"

Sorry Jane I had not seen this before!

Dante is probably our greates poet, but having written in the middleages he's not so easy to read - something like Chauser for you I suppose. Petrarca wrote more or less in the same period - a little later. I like him if for nothing else that his beloved was called Laura!!!!

It depends a lot on which kind of poetry you like; if you appreciate romantics I'd say Giacomo Leopardi; neoclassic Ugo Foscolo; XX century Ungaretti Giuseppe, Eugenio Montale, Umberto Saba ...

Thank you, Laura! Lots to get my teeth into there :)

Maybe I'll start with the 20th Century and work backwards...

Good idea! I love MOntale and Ungaretti particularly, but here we comes in a matter of taste