Elizabeth Jennings discusses love in general, she doesn’t open up and go into more detail of love things, like John Donne does. She just simply mentions: “…shyness…”, where as Donne describes the behaviour, feelings and the desire that he experienced with his partner. So does Jennings, but in a very pail way. Perhaps there is a meaning to it, such as that Jennings never really got to know true and profound love, so that is why she sees it in very general terms. For an example-“shyness”.
On the other hand, Donne seems to know and have felt every little good and exciting thing that the love has to offer. He doesn’t just use general terms, he goes into a very deep and profound description of them, without actually naming any. For him, love is as a mystery, that has to be solved with no lacking of confidence. Donne is the kind of man that accepts his and his partner’s destiny with no doubt to the fact, that they will always be together, no matter where. He even argues that his and the other person’s shared love is so incomparable to other loves, being much more superior, stronger and therefore being able to survive long term separation. As an example in this poem, Donne compares lovers’ separation to death: “As virtuous men pass mildly away…”. He expresses the physical and psychological trauma that the two lovers experience, as one of them pass away. However, then he argues that, death might separate him and his partner physically, but their souls remain together, and that’s why their love is superior.
Jennings, in her poem, argues that love can make people so blind, that after being in love with the loved one, for a lifetime, one can’t still remember the way the other looked like: “With how we cannot bring to mind a face whose every line we know.” Perhaps this sentence represents the idea, that love is so strong and demanding, that in the end one cannot recall the looks of the other, because it is not important anymore. Jennings is saying that what really matters in love is feelings and partner’s personality, not looks. Therefore this stanza is ended with a celebration of love: “O love is kind, o love is kind.”
John Donne argues that his and his partner’s love is much more superior than others’, because his love is a joint of souls and unlike other sublunary lovers, who love with feelings and senses, he will withdraw the long term separation from his partner:
“Dull sublunary lovers’ love, whose sole is sense, cannot admit of absence, ‘cause it doth remove the thing which elemented it.” Donne also argues, that other lovers’ love is based on physical relationship more than psychological: ”…eyes, lips and hands to miss.”, therefore this being the cause of people mourning at their lover’s death. Donne doesn’t admit mourning, because he is sure of the fact, that the separation is just temporary: “No tear-floods, nor sigh-tempests move;”. And, the fact that he sees his love superior, is because Donne and his lover are the only ones to realise, that separation can only be temporary, if love is true.
While Donne talks about the beauty and pleasure experienced in his love life, Elizabeth Jennings talks about pain that she has confronted. In order to show the depth of her pain, she uses run-online lines, when talking about it. In her poem, she describes love as unpredictable, with uncontrollable changes. Jennings also shows that pain is inevitable and that her pain grew stronger, as the relationship between her and her partner proceeded: “That there should still remain the first sweetness, also the later thirst-this is why pain must play some part…”.
John Donne goes on in his poem to explain the strength and superiority of their love. He compares his love to a metal-Gold. This not only being precious jewel, is also unbreakable (brital). This suggests that their love is unbreakable, however a separation is possible, as gold can be beaten into thin, long piece: “Like gold to early thinness beat.”
Donne uses a metaphor to once more show the strength and superiority of his love. He says: “As stiff twin compasses are two”, he then goes on to explain: “thy soul, the fix’d foot, makes no show to move, but doth, if th’ other do.”. The compass is said to be the two partners, in this case Donne and his lover. They are joined, at the top, which is compared to joint of souls, that he and his lover has. Later on Donne says, that as one leg moves the other moves with it, this meaning that separation can’t be possible, because the two legs are joined and one moves when the other one does.
While Donne is suggesting the unity of souls and absolute conglomeration of partners, Jennings suggests, that discretion and secrecy should predominate. She argues, that this makes all love seam more meanful and special: “And wants the world to understand, is love that holds itself in doubt.” However, Jennings shows a great deal of courage by still believing and celebrating love, after all the pain she has suffered. She shows her bravery in the last lines: “For love is quiet, and love is kind.”
