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

 

His Picture

by John Donne

(Poem, Summary, Paraphrase, Analysis & Questions) 

His Picture

Here take my picture; though I bid farewell,

Thine, in my heart, where my soul dwells, shall dwell.

’Tis like me now, but I dead, ’twill be more

When we are shadows both, than ’twas before.

When weather-beaten I come back, my hand

Perhaps with rude oars torn, or sunbeams tann’d,

My face and breast of haircloth, and my head

With cares rash sudden storms being o’erspread,

My body a sack of bones, broken within,

And powder’s blue stains scatter’d on my skin;

If rival fools tax thee to have lov’d a man

So foul and course as, oh, I may seem then,

This shall say what I was: and thou shalt say,

“Do his hurts reach me? doth my worth decay?

Or do they reach his judging mind, that he

Should now love less, what he did love to see?

That which in him was fair and smooth before,

Is still in him, but now seems rough and poor.

If I shrunk inward, and unworthy were,

Thy love might shrink, and hate kill me there;

But if I’ve done one braver thing

Than all the worthies did,

And yet a braver thence doth spring,

Which is, to keep that hid,

It were but madness now t’ impart

The skill of specular stone,

When he, which can have learn’d the art

To cut it, can find none.

So, if I had the spell to know

What some men love, and why,

I would not have them to bestow

It might destroy,

For this, I mean to try

In thee all pleasures that I know,

In women. If thou go,

It will be to return,

All depths, all heights, all lives,

If I had got a king’s hand—

And if I do return,

’Twill be a second wedding.

 

Summary

The speaker addresses a lover (or perhaps a close companion), handing over his portrait before departing on a journey. He expresses deep affection and asks the beloved to keep the picture as a memory of him while he is away.

 

Lines 1–4

He begins by giving his picture, saying that while he bids farewell physically, her image will continue to live in his heart where his soul dwells. He adds that the portrait resembles him now, but once he is dead and both are mere shadows (memories), the picture will mean even more than it does now.

 

Lines 5–10

He imagines returning from the journey in a worn and rough state—his hands bruised from rowing, his skin tanned by the sun, and his face and body bearing the marks of hardship. His hair might be unkempt, his appearance changed by exposure and strain, and his skin possibly stained by gunpowder (hinting at travel involving conflict or danger).

 

Lines 11–14

He worries that when others see his changed and possibly unattractive appearance, they may question why the woman loved someone who now looks so rough and unrefined. In response to such comments, he suggests that she can show them the picture as proof of what he once was.

 

Lines 15–20

He urges her to remember that physical changes do not affect the essence of a person. If he still loves her with the same mind and soul, she should still love him too, despite outward appearances. If he had changed internally and become unworthy, then her love might rightfully diminish, but not otherwise.

 

Lines 21–28

He says that if he has ever done anything brave, it was keeping his deepest feelings hidden. He compares this to having knowledge of a magical or valuable object (like a specular stone—a mirror stone or gem) but not using it because no one is skilled enough to shape it. Likewise, he won’t reveal all his emotional depth, because it might be misunderstood or misused.

 

Lines 29–35

He declares that if he knew what other men love in women and why, he wouldn’t want to share or use that knowledge, because it might ruin the true essence of love. He plans to experience and explore all forms of pleasure and joy through her alone. If she ever leaves him, he believes it will only be to return.

 

Lines 36–39

He ends with hope and confidence. If he comes back, it will feel like a second wedding—a renewal of their bond, love, and closeness.

 

Line-by-line Paraphrase

1. Here take my picture; though I bid farewell,

Take this portrait of me, even though I am leaving you.

 

2. Thine, in my heart, where my soul dwells, shall dwell.

Your image will stay in my heart, where my soul resides.

 

3. ’Tis like me now, but I dead, ’twill be more

This picture looks like me now, but after I die, it will mean even more.

 

4. When we are shadows both, than ’twas before.

When we are both dead and just memories, it will matter more than it does now.

 

5. When weather-beaten I come back, my hand

When I return, worn out by rough weather, my hands—

 

6. Perhaps with rude oars torn, or sunbeams tann’d,

Perhaps damaged from rowing or darkened by the sun—

 

7. My face and breast of haircloth, and my head

My face and chest rough like sackcloth, and my head—

 

8. With cares rash sudden storms being o’erspread,

Covered with troubles like the marks of sudden violent storms,

 

9. My body a sack of bones, broken within,

My body thin and frail, weakened from inside,

 

10. And powder’s blue stains scatter’d on my skin;

And blue marks from gunpowder scattered on my skin;

 

11. If rival fools tax thee to have lov’d a man

If foolish rivals accuse you of loving a man

 

12. So foul and coarse as, oh, I may seem then,

Who appears so ugly and rough as I might seem by then,

 

13. This shall say what I was: and thou shalt say,

Then this portrait will show what I once looked like, and you can say:

 

14. “Do his hurts reach me? doth my worth decay?

“Do his physical injuries affect me? Has my own value gone down?

 

15. Or do they reach his judging mind, that he

Or do those wounds affect his judgment, so that he

 

16. Should now love less, what he did love to see?

Would now love me less than he once did?”

 

17. That which in him was fair and smooth before,

What was once beautiful and smooth in him

 

18. Is still in him, but now seems rough and poor.

Is still there, though now it looks rough and poor on the outside.

 

19. If I shrunk inward, and unworthy were,

If I had become emotionally small or inwardly unworthy,

 

20. Thy love might shrink, and hate kill me there;

Then your love might lessen, and hatred might destroy me.

 

21. But if I’ve done one braver thing

But if I have done one truly brave thing

 

22. Than all the worthies did,

Greater than any famous hero has done,

 

23. And yet a braver thence doth spring,

And an even braver act comes out of that—

 

24. Which is, to keep that hid,

Which is keeping that heroic act a secret—

 

25. It were but madness now t’ impart

Then it would be foolish to reveal now

 

26. The skill of specular stone,

The secret of the reflective (magic) stone,

 

27. When he, which can have learn’d the art

When the one person who could learn the skill

 

28. To cut it, can find none.

Can’t find the stone itself to practice on.

 

29. So, if I had the spell to know

So, if I had the power to know

 

30. What some men love, and why,

What some men love in women and why,

 

31. I would not have them to bestow

I would not want them to give

 

32. It might destroy,

Because it could ruin things.

 

33. For this, I mean to try

Because of that, I intend to explore

 

34. In thee all pleasures that I know,

All the pleasures I know through you alone.

 

35. In women. If thou go,

All that women can offer. If you ever leave me,

 

36. It will be to return,

It will only be to come back again.

 

37. All depths, all heights, all lives,

All extremes, high and low, all experiences of life—

 

38. If I had got a king’s hand—

If I had received royal power—

 

39. And if I do return,

And if I do come back again,

 

40. ’Twill be a second wedding.

It will be like marrying you all over again.

 

Analysis in Detail

John Donne’s Elegy: His Picture is a poignant meditation on love, absence, identity, and transformation. The poem belongs to the category of Donne’s “Elegies”, a group of passionate and sometimes erotic poems that explore relationships through a blend of intellectual play, deep feeling, and bold imagery. This particular elegy is tender, reflective, and anticipatory—full of emotional tension caused by impending separation.

Love and Memory Through the Portrait

The speaker gives his beloved a portrait of himself before leaving, possibly on a voyage or military campaign. He presents the picture as a token of enduring love and identity, one that preserves how he looks now and may become more meaningful after death, when both he and his beloved are only memories (“shadows”).

Donne uses the portrait as a symbolic stand-in for his physical presence. In an age when long separations were common and portraits rare and meaningful, this act would have had emotional gravity. He reassures her that although he’s leaving physically, her image will remain within him—"Thine, in my heart, where my soul dwells, shall dwell"—implying a spiritual union that persists beyond physical presence.

Transformation Through Suffering

The speaker imagines returning from his journey physically altered—weathered, scarred, sunburnt, bruised, and battle-stained. This detailed and vivid portrayal of anticipated suffering reflects not only the harsh conditions of travel or war but also the personal cost of separation and devotion. He foresees that others might mock her for loving someone who now appears so “coarse and foul.”

However, he reassures her that his essence remains unchanged beneath the physical decay. This speaks to Donne’s belief in inner worth versus outward appearance, suggesting that true love should not waver in the face of surface-level transformation. The beloved is called upon to recognize the constancy of his soul, not his skin.

Defense Against Societal Judgment

Donne includes a self-defense mechanism for the beloved. If others scorn her choice of partner after seeing the speaker in a worn-down state, she is to show them the picture and say, “This is what he was.” He imagines her asserting her worth: “Doth my worth decay?” This rhetorical device flips the blame onto society's shallow perception and frames her love as wise and enduring rather than foolish.

This shows how Donne challenges the idea that love must be justified by physical perfection, offering instead a philosophical argument for constancy and spiritual recognition.

Spiritual and Intellectual Love

The poem moves into a more metaphysical realm as Donne discusses inner change versus outer change. He insists that if he had become inwardly “unworthy,” her love might rightly diminish. But if he is only physically altered while remaining emotionally and intellectually faithful, her love should remain steady.

He then introduces a striking conceit: if he has ever done a brave thing, it is keeping his inner feelings and heroic acts hidden. This humble confession reflects the poet’s complexity—he simultaneously claims deep passion and refuses to expose it. The metaphor of the “specular stone”—a precious, magical stone that reflects but cannot be cut due to lack of a skilled craftsman—emphasizes the inaccessibility of his inner emotional treasure. He implies that even if he had the spell to know what others love in women, he wouldn’t share it because such knowledge could be destructive.

Exclusive and Sacred Pleasure

Donne then declares his complete emotional and sensual focus on the beloved. He says he will try in her “all pleasures that I know / In women.” This is not a reduction of love to physicality but a commitment to exclusive intimacy. She is the total expression of womanhood and love to him.

The line “If thou go, it will be to return” reflects his faith in her constancy, paralleling his own pledge of loyalty. The conclusion offers hopeful imagery: if he returns, it will be like a second wedding, a joyful reuniting of body and soul, resembling the sacred and celebratory nature of marriage.

 

Tone and Style

The tone of the poem is affectionate, vulnerable, and intellectually intense. It combines sensual intimacy with philosophical reflection. The structure, though not rigidly formal, reflects the elegiac movement—from farewell, through suffering and defense, to reunion and renewal.

Donne’s characteristic style—metaphysical conceits, paradoxes, and intellectual argumentation—is all present here. But unlike some of his more playful or cynical elegies, this one feels emotionally grounded and sincere, likely written with deep personal feeling during one of his actual absences from his beloved wife Anne.

 

Themes in Summary

Constancy in Love: True love remains unchanged by physical transformation or distance.

Memory and Representation: A portrait preserves identity and love in absence.

Inner Worth vs. Outer Appearance: The soul and mind are more essential than the body.

Sacrifice and Suffering: Love can demand endurance and pain.

Devotion and Return: Even if parted, the lovers will reunite with renewed commitment.

 

Possible Exam Questions

Who is the speaker addressing in Elegy: His Picture and why does he give her his portrait?

 

What does Donne mean by “When we are shadows both”?

 

Describe the physical condition the speaker imagines upon his return.

 

How does the speaker defend the beloved against critics who might mock her love?

 

What is the “specular stone” metaphor referring to?

 

What kind of love does the speaker claim to offer in the poem?

 

What does the speaker say will happen if he returns?

 

Mention two metaphysical features used by Donne in this poem.

 

Identify and explain one example of paradox in the poem.

 

In what way does the poem reflect John Donne’s metaphysical style?

 

Examine how Donne explores the theme of constancy in love in Elegy: His Picture.

 

Discuss how the portrait functions symbolically in the poem. What does it reveal about identity and memory?

 

Evaluate the significance of physical transformation in the poem. How does it contrast with the unchanging nature of the speaker’s love?

 

Comment on the use of conceits and metaphysical elements in Elegy: His Picture. How do they enrich the emotional message?

 

How does John Donne merge sensual love with spiritual fidelity in this elegy?

 

Write a critical appreciation of Elegy: His Picture, focusing on its tone, imagery, and emotional progression.

 

Compare the treatment of separation in this poem with any other poem by John Donne.

 

Donne’s speaker sees suffering as a mark of love rather than a threat to it. — Discuss this statement with reference to the poem.

 

The physical self may perish, but the emotional self is eternal. — How does Donne convey this idea in Elegy: His Picture?

 

How does the poem reflect early modern anxieties about travel, war, and emotional connection?

 

If Donne had not included the metaphysical conceits, would the poem still carry the same emotional depth? Why or why not?

 

What is the relevance of this poem in today’s context of digital communication and long-distance relationships?