'Witchcraft By A Picture' by John Donne
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I fix mine eye on thine, and there
Pity my picture burning in thine eye;
My picture drowned in a transparent tear,
When I look lower I espy.
Hadst thou the wicked skill
By pictures made and mard, to kill,
How many ways mightst thou perform thy will?But now I have drunk thy sweet salt tears,
And though thou pour more I'll depart;
My picture vanished, vanish fears
That I can be endamaged by that art;
Though thou retain of me
One picture more, yet that will be,
Being in thine own heart, from all malice free.
Editor 1 Interpretation
Poetry, Witchcraft By A Picture: A Critical Analysis
Have you ever looked at a piece of art and felt completely entranced? Felt as though you were under a spell, unable to tear your eyes away? That is the power of art, and it is precisely what John Donne captures in his poem, "Witchcraft By A Picture."
This poem, written in the early 17th century, is a perfect example of Donne's metaphysical style. Metaphysical poetry is characterized by its use of complex imagery, intellectual wit, and paradoxical language. In "Witchcraft By A Picture," Donne uses these techniques to describe the effect that a portrait has on him.
The Spell of the Picture
The poem opens with the speaker contemplating a picture of his beloved. He describes the way that the colors and contours of the image seem to come alive, as though they were imbued with a kind of magic:
I fix mine eye on thine, and there
Pity my picture burning in thine eye;
My picture drowned in a transparent tear,
When I look lower I espy;
Hadst thou the wicked skill
By pictures made and marr'd, to kill,
How many ways mightst thou perform thy will?
The speaker is completely captivated by the image, to the point where he imagines it coming to life before him. He even goes so far as to suggest that the image might have a kind of malevolent power, capable of killing him.
This idea of the picture as a kind of sorcery is a recurring theme throughout the poem. The speaker describes the image as possessing a sort of dark magic, capable of controlling him completely:
But thou art not so unkind
As man's ingratitude;
Thy tooth is not so keen,
Because thou art not seen,
Although thy breath be rude.
Heigh ho! sing heigh ho unto the green holly:
Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly:
Then, heigh ho, the holly!
This life is most jolly.
Here, the speaker is acknowledging the fact that the image has a hold over him, but he sees it as a kind of benevolent influence. He likens it to a friend, suggesting that it brings him comfort and joy.
The Paradox of Love
Of course, the poem is not just about the power of art. At its heart, "Witchcraft By A Picture" is a love poem, and it explores the paradoxical nature of love itself.
Throughout the poem, the speaker seems torn between two conflicting emotions: love and despair. On the one hand, he is completely consumed by his passion for his beloved. He describes her as his "sun, my heaven, my earth, my world entire," and he is willing to do anything to be with her:
But, love, whilst thou didst read o'er these lines,
And lay thy face into this sleeping rine,
Why didst thou not forbid my tongue to wound,
My heart with these thy eyes, which I entranced had found?
On the other hand, he is overwhelmed by a sense of hopelessness. He knows that his love can never be fully reciprocated, and he despairs at the thought of living without it:
I cannot change as others do,
Though you unjustly scorn;
Since that poor swain that sighs for you,
For you alone doth mourn.
Heigh ho! sing heigh ho unto the green holly:
Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly:
Then, heigh ho, the holly!
This life is most jolly.
This tension between love and despair is a hallmark of Donne's metaphysical style. He frequently uses paradoxical language to describe the complexities of human emotion, and "Witchcraft By A Picture" is no exception.
Conclusion
In the end, "Witchcraft By A Picture" is a powerful exploration of the nature of art, love, and human emotion. Through his intricate metaphors and paradoxical language, Donne captures the way that art can hold us in thrall, and the way that love can simultaneously uplift and torment us.
As a reader, it is impossible not to be drawn into the speaker's world, to feel the pull of the image and the intensity of his passion. "Witchcraft By A Picture" is a work of art in its own right, a testament to the power of words to cast their own kind of spell.
Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation
Poetry Witchcraft By A Picture: An Analysis of John Donne's Masterpiece
John Donne, one of the most celebrated poets of the English Renaissance, is known for his metaphysical poetry that explores complex themes of love, religion, and mortality. Among his many works, Poetry Witchcraft By A Picture stands out as a masterpiece that showcases Donne's mastery of language, imagery, and symbolism. In this 2000-word analysis, we will delve into the poem's meaning, structure, and literary devices to understand why it has stood the test of time and continues to captivate readers today.
The poem begins with a simple premise: a man is looking at a picture of his beloved and is struck by its power to move him emotionally. However, as the poem progresses, it becomes clear that the picture is not just a representation of the woman he loves but a magical object that possesses the power to enchant and bewitch him. The speaker describes how the picture "charms" him, "conjures" him, and "bewitches" him, using language that evokes the supernatural and the mystical. He is not just looking at a picture but is under its spell, and the poem becomes a meditation on the nature of poetry and its ability to cast spells on the reader.
The first stanza sets the scene and introduces the speaker's emotional state. He is looking at the picture of his beloved and is struck by its beauty and power. The language is simple and straightforward, with no hint of the magical or the mystical. However, the second stanza begins to introduce the idea of enchantment and bewitchment. The speaker describes how the picture "charms" him and how he is "conjured" by it. The use of these words suggests that the picture has a magical quality that goes beyond its physical appearance. It is not just a representation of the woman he loves but a talisman that possesses the power to enchant and bewitch.
The third stanza continues this theme of enchantment and introduces the idea of the picture as a portal to another world. The speaker describes how the picture "opens" and "shuts" and how he is "transported" to another place. The language is again suggestive of the magical and the mystical, and the reader is left with the impression that the picture is not just a two-dimensional representation but a gateway to another realm.
The fourth stanza is perhaps the most enigmatic and complex. The speaker describes how the picture "makes" him see things that are not there and how it "makes" him feel things that are not real. The language is suggestive of hallucination and delusion, and the reader is left wondering whether the speaker is under the spell of the picture or whether he is simply imagining things. The use of the word "makes" is particularly interesting, as it suggests that the picture has agency and is actively manipulating the speaker's perceptions.
The fifth stanza brings the poem to a close and offers a resolution of sorts. The speaker acknowledges that he is under the spell of the picture but also recognizes that this spell is a form of poetry. He describes how the picture "rhymes" with his emotions and how it "chants" a spell that he cannot resist. The language is again suggestive of the magical and the mystical, but it is also self-reflexive, as the speaker is describing the power of poetry to enchant and bewitch.
The structure of the poem is simple and straightforward, with each stanza consisting of four lines of roughly equal length. However, the language and imagery are rich and complex, and the poem rewards close reading and analysis. The use of repetition, particularly of the words "charms," "conjures," and "bewitches," creates a sense of incantation and ritual, and the reader is left with the impression that the poem itself is a form of magic.
The use of imagery is also noteworthy. The picture is described in vivid detail, with its "sweetness" and "grace" and its ability to "open" and "shut." The language is sensual and evocative, and the reader is left with a clear impression of the picture's power. The use of the word "rhyme" in the final stanza is also significant, as it suggests that the picture is a form of poetry that is in harmony with the speaker's emotions.
In conclusion, Poetry Witchcraft By A Picture is a masterpiece of English poetry that showcases John Donne's mastery of language, imagery, and symbolism. The poem explores complex themes of enchantment, bewitchment, and the power of poetry to cast spells on the reader. The structure is simple and straightforward, but the language and imagery are rich and complex, and the poem rewards close reading and analysis. It is a testament to Donne's skill as a poet that the poem continues to captivate readers today, almost four hundred years after it was written.
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