Change by John Donne (Poem, Summary, Paraphrase, Analysis & Questions)

 

Change

by John Donne

(Poem, Summary, Paraphrase, Analysis & Questions) 

Change

Although thy hand and faith, and good works too,

Have sealed thy love which nothing should undo,

Yea though thou fall back, that apostasy

Confirm thy love; yet much, much I fear thee.

Women are like the Arts, forced unto none,

Open to all searchers, unprized if unknown.

If I have caught a bird, and let him fly,

Another fowler using these means, as I,

May catch the same bird; and, as these things be,

Women are made for men, not him nor me.

Foxes and goats, all beasts change when they please,

Shall women, more hot, wily, wild than these,

Be bound to one man, and did Nature then

Idly make them apter to endure than men?

They are our clogges, not their own; if a man be

Chained to a galley, yet the galley’s free;

Who hath a plough-land casts all his seedcorn there,

And yet allows his ground more corn should bear;

Though Danuby into the sea must flow,

The sea receives the Rhine, Volga, and Po.

By nature, which gave it, this liberty

Thou lov’st, but Oh! canst thou love it and me?

Likeness glues love: then if so thou do

To make us like and love, must I change too?

More than thy hate, I hate’t, rather let me

Allow her change, than change as oft as she,

And so not teach, but force my opinion

To love not any one, nor every one.

To live in one land is captivity,

To run all countries, a wild roguery;

Waters stink soon if in one place they bide,

And in the vast sea are more purified:

But when they kiss one bank, and leaving this

Never look back, but the next bank do kiss,

Then are they purest. Change is the nursery

Of music, joy, life and eternity.

 

Summary

The speaker begins by acknowledging that the woman he loves has given many signs of her loyalty and love—through her actions, promises, and faithfulness. Still, despite these assurances, he fears she may change and become unfaithful.

He reflects on the nature of women and compares them to the arts, suggesting that like the arts, women are not forced on anyone and are open to all who seek them. If he has once “caught” (won) her love and lets her go, another man may use the same means and win her too. In his view, women are not made for just one man, but rather for men in general.

He extends this idea by comparing women to animals such as foxes and goats, which change freely. He wonders if women, who are more passionate and clever than animals, should be expected to stay with just one man. He even asks whether nature made them more capable of long-lasting endurance than men.

Next, he uses a metaphor: if a man is chained to a galley (a ship), the ship itself is still free to move. In the same way, a woman may appear bound to one man, but in reality, she remains free. He also compares a man’s relationship with a woman to sowing seeds in one field—he plants there, but the field may still bear other seeds from others.

Donne gives more examples from nature: rivers like the Danube must flow into the sea, but the sea also welcomes other rivers like the Rhine, Volga, and Po. The woman, like the sea, might naturally receive more than one man.

He suggests that the woman enjoys the freedom that nature has given her. But then he wonders—can she love that freedom and still love him? If she changes frequently, should he also change to match her? He doesn’t want that. He would rather accept her changeability than change himself often, for that would mean not loving anyone deeply.

The speaker then generalizes: to live in one land alone is like imprisonment, but to wander through all lands is wild and disorderly. Water that stays in one place becomes stale, while water that moves through the sea becomes clean and pure. When flowing water touches one riverbank and then moves on to kiss another, without looking back, it becomes purest.

Finally, he concludes by saying that change is the source of music, joy, life, and eternity—implying that constant change is a part of life and may even be necessary for its fullness.

 

Line-by-line Paraphrase

Although thy hand and faith, and good works too,

Have sealed thy love which nothing should undo,

Yea though thou fall back, that apostasy

Confirm thy love; yet much, much I fear thee.

Even though your promises, loyalty, and good actions

Have confirmed your love so strongly it should never break,

Even if you abandon that love, ironically proving how strong it once was—

Still, I am very afraid you might betray me.

 

Women are like the Arts, forced unto none,

Open to all searchers, unprized if unknown.

Women are like the arts—they cannot be forced on anyone,

They are open to all who seek them, and have no value if not discovered.

 

If I have caught a bird, and let him fly,

Another fowler using these means, as I,

May catch the same bird; and, as these things be,

Women are made for men, not him nor me.

If I catch a bird and then let it go,

Another bird-catcher using the same tricks I did

Might catch that same bird; similarly,

Women are made for all men, not just for you or me.

 

Foxes and goats, all beasts change when they please,

Shall women, more hot, wily, wild than these,

Be bound to one man, and did Nature then

Idly make them apter to endure than men?

Animals like foxes and goats change mates freely,

Should women—who are more passionate, cunning, and wild—

Be expected to stick with one man?

Did Nature foolishly make women more faithful than men?

 

They are our clogges, not their own; if a man be

Chained to a galley, yet the galley’s free;

They are a burden for us, not for themselves; if a man is chained to a ship,

The ship (like the woman) still moves freely.

 

Who hath a plough-land casts all his seedcorn there,

And yet allows his ground more corn should bear;

A farmer plants all his seeds in his own land,

But the land may still grow other crops, not just his.

 

Though Danuby into the sea must flow,

The sea receives the Rhine, Volga, and Po.

Though the Danube River flows into the sea,

The sea also receives other rivers like the Rhine, Volga, and Po.

 

By nature, which gave it, this liberty

Thou lov’st, but Oh! canst thou love it and me?

You love the freedom that nature gave you,

But can you love both that freedom and me at the same time?

 

Likeness glues love: then if so thou do

To make us like and love, must I change too?

Love comes from similarity: so if you keep changing,

Should I also keep changing to remain like you and loved by you?

 

More than thy hate, I hate’t, rather let me

Allow her change, than change as oft as she,

I hate that idea more than I hate your rejection.

I would rather accept your changes

Than change myself as often as you do.

 

And so not teach, but force my opinion

To love not any one, nor every one.

Because changing myself like that would mean

Not truly loving anyone at all.

 

To live in one land is captivity,

To run all countries, a wild roguery;

Staying in one place feels like imprisonment,

But running through every country is like being a vagabond.

 

Waters stink soon if in one place they bide,

And in the vast sea are more purified:

Water becomes stale if it stays still,

But in the vast sea, it becomes clean and pure again.

 

But when they kiss one bank, and leaving this

Never look back, but the next bank do kiss,

Then are they purest.

But water is purest when it touches one riverbank,

Then moves on and kisses another bank,

Without looking back.

 

Change is the nursery

Of music, joy, life and eternity.

Change gives birth to music, happiness, life itself, and even eternity.

 

Analysis in Detail

Overview

John Donne’s Elegy: Change explores the theme of inconstancy in romantic relationships, particularly focusing on women’s perceived tendency to change their affections. Written in a conversational and provocative tone, the poem questions the expectation of female fidelity while offering a string of analogies from nature, daily life, and philosophy to support the idea that change is both natural and inevitable.

 

Tone and Voice

The tone is both philosophical and ironic, at times bordering on cynical. Donne’s speaker is conflicted—he fears being betrayed, yet rationalizes the possibility of a woman’s inconstancy by citing natural laws and metaphors. The voice is that of a clever and persuasive lover, trying to reconcile emotional pain with intellectual reasoning. His wit, characteristic of Donne’s metaphysical style, shines through in each comparison and argument.

 

Themes

Fear of Betrayal

The poem opens with a confession: despite clear signs of the woman’s love, the speaker fears she may become unfaithful. This emotional uncertainty sets the stage for the rest of the poem, which attempts to justify and explain the inevitability of change.

 

Inconstancy as a Natural Law

Donne builds his central argument around the idea that change—especially in love—is not only natural but expected. By using analogies from farming, rivers, animals, and oceans, he suggests that just as nature thrives through motion and transformation, so too does love (or at least women’s love).

 

Liberty vs. Fidelity

A tension runs throughout the poem between liberty and loyalty. The woman is portrayed as one who values her natural freedom, and the speaker questions whether love can coexist with that freedom. He also challenges the fairness of expecting women to be more constant than men when nature has made them wild, passionate, and clever.

 

Double Standards and Gender Expectations

Though the speaker justifies women’s changeability, he subtly exposes the double standards of the time. He shows an awareness that men enjoy freedom, yet often criticize women for doing the same. While he seems to defend women’s liberty, there is also a tone of reluctant acceptance, not celebration.

 

The Necessity and Value of Change

In the final stanzas, the poem moves toward a broader philosophical conclusion: change is not only natural but vital. It brings music, joy, life, and even eternity. Without change, things stagnate and rot—just as still water stinks, but flowing water is purified.

 

Imagery and Metaphysical Conceits

Donne’s use of conceits—extended, unexpected metaphors—is typical of metaphysical poetry. Here are a few striking examples:

Bird-catching: Love is like catching a bird; if you let it go, someone else might catch it the same way. This suggests the ease with which love may be won or lost.

Farming metaphor: A man plants seed in his own land, but the land may still bear others’ seeds—suggesting that even a committed woman might bear the marks of others.

River and sea: The sea, which receives many rivers, represents the woman’s openness to multiple lovers—just as nature accepts many inputs without discrimination.

Galley ship: A man chained to a ship symbolizes being tied to a woman who is still free to move and roam.

These images are not merely decorative—they serve as logical arguments within the speaker’s defense of changeability.

 

Structure and Form

The poem is written in rhymed couplets (aa, bb, cc...), a structure that mimics the forward flow of thought and argument. Each pair of lines presents a new idea or supports a growing argument. The consistent rhyme also lends a rhythm that enhances the poem’s persuasive style, almost like a legal or philosophical treatise disguised as a love poem.

 

Philosophical Argument

Donne is not simply talking about a personal relationship; he’s engaging in a larger debate about fidelity, identity, nature, and permanence. The poem suggests that expecting unchanging love is unreasonable and perhaps even unnatural. In this sense, the poem shares some of the skepticism of Renaissance humanism, where human behavior was viewed through the lens of both reason and emotion.

Yet, the speaker remains emotionally entangled. His logic does not free him from his fear—it only gives him a way to express it.

 

Closing Reflection

The final lines are particularly profound:

“Change is the nursery / Of music, joy, life, and eternity.”

Here, Donne moves from romantic uncertainty to cosmic affirmation. Change, which earlier seemed threatening, is now the very source of beauty and life itself. It is not something to resist, but to accept, and perhaps even to embrace.

 

Conclusion

Elegy: Change is a richly layered poem that moves between personal heartbreak, philosophical argument, and natural observation. Donne uses wit, reason, and poetic metaphor to grapple with the pain of unstable love. In doing so, he reveals a deep, human understanding of the tension between desire for commitment and the reality of change.

 

Possible Exam Questions

What fear does the speaker express at the beginning of the poem?

 

How does Donne compare women to the arts?

 

Explain the bird-catching metaphor in the poem.

 

What point does Donne make using the example of rivers and the sea?

 

What does the speaker mean by “Change is the nursery / Of music, joy, life and eternity”?

 

How does Donne use the metaphor of the galley ship to describe relationships?

 

In what way does the poem reflect the speaker’s internal conflict?

 

Discuss how Donne uses metaphors and analogies from nature to justify the idea of change in love.

 

Do you think the speaker truly accepts change, or is he using logic to cope with emotional pain? Explain.

 

How does John Donne present the theme of fidelity and inconstancy in “Elegy: Change”?

 

Critically analyze the speaker’s views on women in the poem. How do these reflect Renaissance or patriarchal attitudes?

 

Discuss how Donne balances emotional vulnerability with intellectual reasoning in this poem.

 

Explain the significance of the final lines of the poem. How do they shift the overall tone or message?

 

In Elegy: Change, the speaker compares women to:

a) Rivers

b) Animals

c) Arts

d) Music

Answer: c) Arts

 

What natural image is used to support the argument that change is cleansing?

a) Trees growing fruit

b) Water flowing through rivers and the sea

c) Birds in the sky

d) Fire burning impurities

Answer: b) Water flowing through rivers and the sea

 

According to the speaker, what glues love?

a) Truth

b) Likeness

c) Beauty

d) Faith

Answer: b) Likeness

 

The line “Change is the nursery of music, joy, life and eternity” suggests that:

a) Change is destructive

b) Change weakens relationships

c) Change is essential to creation and existence

d) Change causes sorrow

Answer: c) Change is essential to creation and existence

 

If change is natural and even beautiful, as the speaker claims, why does he still fear it in love?

 

Can Donne’s argument about change and relationships be applied in today’s world? Why or why not?

 

Is Donne's speaker defending women’s freedom or subtly blaming them for being inconstant? Discuss.