Introduction
Twicknam Garden is a metaphysical poem written by John Donne, a prominent English poet of the 17th century. We have already discussed about John Donne, in detail, in our previous blog about his poem "The Flea". https://theruddybloke.blogspot.com/2023/06/john-donne-the-flea-analysis.html
The poem Twicknam Garden explores themes of unrequited love, the transience of life, and the paradoxical nature of human existence. Through rich imagery, clever wordplay, and metaphysical conceits, Donne delves into the complexities of love and the human condition. Let's take a look into the text of the poem.
Twicknam Garden
Hither I come to seeke the spring,
And at mine eyes, and at mine eares,
Receive such balmes, as else cure every thing,
But O, selfe traytor, I do bring
The spider love, which transubstantiates all,
And can convert Manna to gall,
And that this place may thoroughly be thought
True Paradise, I have the serpent brought.
'Twere wholesomer for mee, that winter did
Benight the glory of this place,
And that a grave frost did forbid
These trees to laugh, and mocke nee to my face;
But that I may not this disgrace
Endure, nor leave this garden, Love let mee
Some senselesse peece of this place bee;
Make me a mandrake, so I may grow here,
Or a stone fountaine weeping out my yeare.
Hither with christall vyals, lovers come,
And take my teares, which are love's wine,
And try your mistresse teares at home,
For all are false, that taste not just like mine;
Alas, hearts do not in eyes shine,
Nor can you more judge womans thoughts by teares,
Than by her shadow, what she weares.
O perverse sexe, where none is true but shee,
Who's therefore true, because her truth kills mee.
The poem begins with the speaker's lamentation over the unresponsive nature of his beloved, which is symbolized by the garden at Twicknam. The garden represents the enclosed space of the beloved's heart, and the speaker, filled with longing, desires to enter this inner sanctuary. However, the garden is described as a barren and inhospitable place, devoid of the warmth and vitality the speaker seeks. This imagery serves to emphasize the emotional distance between the speaker and his beloved, highlighting the unattainability of his desires.
Donne employs a series of paradoxes and contrasting elements throughout the poem to convey the speaker's emotional turmoil. For instance, he juxtaposes images of nature's beauty with images of destruction and decay. The garden is portrayed as a place where winter and summer coexist, symbolizing the contradictory emotions experienced by the speaker. He is simultaneously warmed by his love for the beloved and frozen out by the beloved's indifference. The poem is set in a place called "Twicknam Garden", which belonged to his patroness and rumoured lover of Donne, the Duchess of Bedford. The poem also incorporates metaphysical conceits, which are extended and unconventional metaphors that link disparate ideas.
Now, let's summarise the poem stanza by stanza.
First Stanza
We have the text of the poem above. However, for our convenience, I'm listing the lines again.
Blasted with sighs, and surrounded with teares,
Hither I come to seeke the spring,
And at mine eyes, and at mine eares,
Receive such balmes, as else cure every thing,
But O, selfe traytor, I do bring
The spider love, which transubstantiates all,
And can convert Manna to gall,
And that this place may thoroughly be thought
True Paradise, I have the serpent brought.
In the opening lines, the speaker expresses his emotional state, describing himself as "blasted with sighs" and "surrounded with tears." He seeks solace and renewal by coming to this place, symbolically referred to as "the spring." The speaker hopes that by being in this place, his eyes and ears will receive healing balms that can cure all things. This conveys the longing and desperation of the speaker for emotional relief and rejuvenation. Here, the speaker acknowledges his own role in his suffering, referring to himself as a "self-traitor." He recognizes that the love he carries within him, represented metaphorically as a spider, has the power to transform everything. This love, instead of being nourishing like manna, turns into bitterness and gall. The speaker admits that he has brought the serpent, a symbol of deceit and temptation, to this place in order to make it appear as a true paradise. This suggests a sense of self-deception and the speaker's willingness to sacrifice truth for the illusion of a perfect love. The usage of keywords - such as "transubstantiates", as in the doctrine of Eucharist Church; "Manna", as in the food provided by God to Israelites; and "gall" - solidifies the idea of deceit.
Second Stanza
'Twere wholesomer for mee, that winter did
Benight the glory of this place,
And that a grave frost did forbid
These trees to laugh, and mocke nee to my face;
But that I may not this disgrace
Endure, nor leave this garden, Love let mee
Some senselesse peece of this place bee;
Make me a mandrake, so I may grow here,
Or a stone fountaine weeping out my yeare.
In these lines, the speaker expresses his desire for emotional relief from his suffering. He suggests that it would be better for him if winter covered the glory of this place and a frost prevented the trees from mocking him. However, he cannot bear the disgrace of his situation nor give up on love. Instead, he pleads with Love to transform him into an inanimate object like a mandrake or a stone fountain. This desire reflects the speaker's longing for emotional numbness or a release from the pain of unrequited love.
Third Stanza
Hither with christall vyals, lovers come,
And take my teares, which are love's wine,
And try your mistresse teares at home,
For all are false, that taste not just like mine;
Alas, hearts do not in eyes shine,
Nor can you more judge womans thoughts by teares,
Than by her shadow, what she weares.
O perverse sexe, where none is true but shee,
Who's therefore true, because her truth kills mee.
In these final lines, the speaker invites other lovers to come with crystal phials (vials) and collect his tears, which he metaphorically refers to as "love's wine." He challenges them to compare their mistresses' tears to his, stating that tears that do not taste like his own are false. The speaker reflects on the deceptive nature of tears and emphasizes that one cannot judge a woman's true thoughts or feelings solely based on her tears or outward appearance. He laments the paradoxical nature of the female sex, acknowledging that only his beloved is true, even though her truth causes him great pain.
Conclusion
The poem Twicknam Garden is a poignant exploration of unrequited love and the transient nature of human existence. Through vivid imagery, paradoxes, and metaphysical conceits, John Donne captures the emotional anguish of the speaker, as well as the universal theme of love. The poem serves as a testament to the complexities of human relationships and invites readers to reflect on the fleeting nature of life and the enduring power of love. The poem shares the themes of unrequited love, anguish, frustration as well as natural beauty. However, in the end the poet asserts that unreciprocated love is not love after all. Though the damning at the end of the poem gives a tint of misogyny, we can construe the words for his exasperation of his endeavor. Devices like personification, allusion, imagery etc. are seen in the poem as well. Thus, we can conclude the poem as one of Donne's most remarkable poems.
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