A Nocturnal upon St. Lucy’s Day | death alters Donne’s attitude to the world

A Nocturnal upon St. Lucy’s Day | death alters Donne’s attitude to the world

Q. How does death alter Donne’s attitude to the world? Answer with reference to “A Nocturnal upon St. Lucy’s Day.”

Answer: "A Nocturnal upon St. Lucy’s Day" is one of the notable examples of metaphysical poems. It was written by the poet John Donne. It was seemingly composed around 1624. But it was not published until after Donne’s death in 1631.

The poem is about meditation on the nature of darkness and the human experiences of night. The poem takes its title from the feast day of Saint Lucy. The feast day of Saint Lucy mainly falls on December 13. This remarkable date is marked as one of the longest nights of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.

In the poem, "A Nocturnal upon St. Lucy’s Day", the speaker exposes his contemplation on death. His contemplation of death significantly alters his attitude towards the world. In this poem the speaker struggles with the concept of mortality. The poem also reflects the speaker’s melancholic and introspective view.

Throughout the poem, Donne’s speaker adopts a disillusioned outlook on the world. The opening lines set the melancholic tone of the poem. In the opening lines the speaker declares that "Tis the year’s midnight, and it is the day’s". These lines suggest a sense of stagnation and the absence of hope or renewal. This melancholic view is further exposed by the speaker’s assertion that "all others from all things draw nigh to thee". It implies that death is the only constant and universal reality.

The speaker’s attitude towards the world is also profound pessimism and disconnection. He views the world as a place "of nothing" and "no world". Here, even both the sun and the moon have lost their significance. This outlook is starkly noticed in the lines "I am every dead thing, / In whom love wrought new alchemy," Through these lines, the speaker looks at himself as a lifeless entity. It is devoid of any meaningful connection to living beings.

Besides, John Donne uses the religious imagery in the poem. The allusion to the crucifixion shows the speakers altered attitude towards the world. Both the reference to "Saint Lucy’s Day" and the comparison of the speaker "like a gilded tomb" evoke a sense of religious and spiritual contemplation. However, the speaker’s separation from the world and his own mortality suggests a crisis of faith. He struggles to bring together his understanding of death with his spiritual beliefs.

The lines "I am re-begot / Of absence, darkness, death; things which are not" evoke the speaker's ultimate transformation. Through his confession before death, the speaker has become disconnected from the world. He views it as a place of nothingness and emptiness. This radical shift from living to dead is an example of the speaker’s profound impact upon the world.

Thus, John Donne’s poem, “A Nocturnal upon St. Lucy’s Day”, reveals how the speaker contemplates upon death. The speaker’s contemplation profoundly alters his attitude towards the world. The poem’s sad and pessimistic tone reflects the transformative power of mortality on the worldview and the human experience. Therefore, in this poem, the speaker’s sense of disconnection and disillusionment evokes his pessimistic view upon the world.

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