Song ('Go and catch a falling star') by John Donne (Edexcel A-Level English Literature): Revision Notes

Song ('Go and catch a falling star') by John Donne

Context

• Song: Go and Catch a Falling Star by John Donne was written during the late 16th or early 17th century.

• The poem reflects the Renaissance era's fascination with the impossible and the metaphysical.

• Donne was a leading figure among the metaphysical poets, known for their use of elaborate conceits and intellectual wit.

  

• This period was marked by religious and political upheaval, influencing the themes of disillusionment and cynicism in Donne's work.

Structure and Form

Form, Metre, and Rhyme

• The poem consists of three nine-line stanzas.
• The rhyme scheme is consistent throughout, following an ABABCCDDD pattern.
• The predominant metre is a trochaic tetrameter, with variations that include lines in iambic monometers.
• The use of triplets at the end of each stanza, rather than the more common couplets, adds a distinctive rhythm to the poem.

Speaker and Setting

• The speaker is a man disillusioned with romantic relationships, addressing an imaginary listener.
• The setting is not specified but evokes a sense of a philosophical or contemplative space where the speaker reflects on the impossibility of finding a faithful woman.

Poetic Devices

• Conceit: The poem employs a series of hyperbolic and fantastical tasks to illustrate the impossibility of finding a faithful woman.
• Allusion: References to folklore and mythology, such as mandrake roots, mermaids, and the devil, enhance the poem's themes of deceit and impossible quests.
• Alliteration and Consonance: These devices create a musical quality, adding to the poem's lively and energetic tone.
• Assonance: Used subtly to create a smooth, enchanting sound that contrasts with the speaker's cynical message.
• Enjambment: The use of enjambment in the closing lines of each stanza builds suspense and emphasises the poem's key points.
• Sibilance: The use of sibilance enhances the poem's mystical and magical atmosphere, especially in the second stanza.
• Hyperbole: The speaker's exaggerated claims about the impossibility of finding a faithful woman underscore his cynicism and bitterness.
• Irony: The poem's ironic tone, contrasting the magical and mundane, highlights the speaker's jaded perspective on romantic fidelity.
• Repetition: The poem employs parallelism and anaphora to reinforce the speaker's arguments and add a rhetorical punch.

Key Themes

Women's Infidelity

"No where / Lives a woman true, and fair." (Lines 17-18)

• The poem explores the theme of women's romantic infidelity, suggesting that finding a faithful woman is as impossible as the fantastical tasks listed by the speaker.

Impossible Tasks

"Go and catch a falling star, / Get with child a mandrake root," (Lines 1-2)

• The poem opens with a series of impossible commands, setting the tone for the speaker's argument about the unattainability of certain ideals.

Disillusionment and Cynicism

"Yet she / Will be / False, ere I come, to two, or three." (Lines 25-27)

• The speaker's cynicism about romantic relationships is evident throughout, culminating in his belief that even the most seemingly faithful woman will eventually be unfaithful.

Similar Poems

• "To His Coy Mistress" by Andrew Marvell: Another metaphysical poem that uses wit and hyperbole to explore themes of love and seduction.
• "The Sun Rising" by John Donne: Explores themes of love and the private world of lovers, using metaphysical conceits and intellectual wit.
• "The Flea" by John Donne: A poem that blends personal emotion with broader metaphysical themes, showcasing Donne's skill with conceit.

Line by Line Analysis

Lines 1-4

Go and catch a falling star,

Get with child a mandrake root,

Tell me where all past years are,

Or who cleft the devil's foot,

"Go and catch a falling star,"

• The speaker opens with an impossible command, setting the tone for the rest of the poem.

"Get with child a mandrake root,"

• Another impossible task, as mandrake roots were believed to have magical properties but could not be impregnated.

"Tell me where all past years are,"

• Reflects a longing for lost time and the impossibility of reclaiming it.

"Or who cleft the devil's foot,"

• Introduces a note of religious unease and deceit, fitting the theme of infidelity.

Lines 5-6

Teach me to hear mermaids singing,

Or to keep off envy's stinging,

"Teach me to hear mermaids singing,"

• Mermaids symbolise dangerous and deceptive allure, furthering the theme of impossible tasks.

"Or to keep off envy's stinging,"

• Suggests the speaker's own experiences with jealousy and romantic disappointment.

Lines 7-9

And find

What wind

Serves to advance an honest mind.

"And find / What wind / Serves to advance an honest mind."

• The final lines of the stanza shift to a quieter, more contemplative tone, questioning the rewards for honesty in a deceptive world.

Lines 10-13

If thou be'st born to strange sights,

Things invisible to see,

Ride ten thousand days and nights,

Till age snow white hairs on thee,

"If thou be'st born to strange sights,"

• Imagines the listener has the power to see the impossible.

"Things invisible to see,"

• Reinforces the idea of seeking the unattainable.

"Ride ten thousand days and nights,"

• Hyperbolic journey, emphasising the length and difficulty of the quest.

"Till age snow white hairs on thee,"

• The journey is so long it lasts a lifetime, symbolising wasted years in search of the impossible.

Lines 14-18

Thou, when thou return'st, wilt tell me,

All strange wonders that befell thee,

And swear,

No where

Lives a woman true, and fair.

"Thou, when thou return'st, wilt tell me,"

• The speaker anticipates the listener's return from the impossible quest.

"All strange wonders that befell thee,"

• Suggests the listener will have many fantastical stories.

"And swear, / No where / Lives a woman true, and fair."

• The speaker's ultimate point: even with all the wonders seen, a faithful woman is not among them.

Lines 19-20

If thou find'st one, let me know,

Such a pilgrimage were sweet;

"If thou find'st one, let me know,"

• The speaker sarcastically suggests he would like to know if a faithful woman is found.

"Such a pilgrimage were sweet;"

• Compares the search for a faithful woman to a sacred pilgrimage.

Lines 21-22

Yet do not, I would not go,

Though at next door we might meet;

"Yet do not, I would not go,"

• The speaker retracts his previous statement, expressing cynicism.

"Though at next door we might meet;"

• Even if the faithful woman were nearby, the speaker would not bother to meet her.

Lines 23-27

Though she were true, when you met her,

And last, till you write your letter,

Yet she

Will be

False, ere I come, to two, or three.

"Though she were true, when you met her,"

• The speaker acknowledges the possibility of initial faithfulness.

"And last, till you write your letter,"

• Suggests she might remain faithful for a short time.

"Yet she / Will be / False, ere I come, to two, or three."

• Concludes that any woman's faithfulness is temporary and she would be unfaithful before the speaker arrives.