Lovers’ Infiniteness by John Donne: (Poem, Summary, Paraphrase, Analysis & Questions)

 

Lovers’ Infiniteness

by John Donne:

(Poem, Summary, Paraphrase, Analysis & Questions) 

Lovers’ Infiniteness

How can we know the dancer from the dance?

And that way of measuring love, is by chance;

For if thy lips are two, and mine are one,

How can two kisses e’er be said but one?

If thine eyes twain make but one heart in me,

How can two loves then make but one love be?

When thy two hands, which make but one man’s measure,

Meet in one clasp, how can two loves be lesser?

When two voices, as two instruments,

Make one sound; can so many sweetnesses make one sense?

If I and you should love, we two should be

One love, one soul, one self, one sympathy.

 

Summary

The poem explores the idea that true love between two people is so complete and perfect that it becomes one unified whole, rather than two separate parts. John Donne asks how one can distinguish between the lover and the love itself, suggesting they are inseparable.

He illustrates this unity by using examples:

If the beloved has two lips and the lover has one, when they kiss, it is still considered one kiss, not two.

If the beloved has two eyes that create one heart in the lover, then two loves combine into one single love.

When the beloved’s two hands, which define a man’s size, come together in a single clasp, it cannot be two loves but one.

Two voices, like two instruments, blend to produce one harmonious sound. Similarly, many forms of sweetness combine to form one unified experience.

Ultimately, Donne concludes that when two people truly love each other, they become one in love, soul, self, and feeling — perfectly united without separation.

This summary captures the progression of ideas and examples used in the poem to convey the concept of lovers becoming a single, infinite unity.

 

Line-by-line paraphrase

How can we know the dancer from the dance?

How can we separate the person dancing from the dance itself?

 

And that way of measuring love, is by chance;

Trying to measure love like this is uncertain and random.

 

For if thy lips are two, and mine are one,

If you have two lips and I have one,

 

How can two kisses e’er be said but one?

How can two kisses ever be counted as anything other than one?

 

If thine eyes twain make but one heart in me,

If your two eyes create a single heart or feeling inside me,

 

How can two loves then make but one love be?

Then how can two separate loves not become one single love?

 

When thy two hands, which make but one man’s measure,

When your two hands, which define the size or completeness of a man,

 

Meet in one clasp, how can two loves be lesser?

Come together in one hold, how can there be less than one love?

 

When two voices, as two instruments,

When two voices, like two musical instruments,

 

Make one sound; can so many sweetnesses make one sense?

Create one sound together; can many pleasures not make one unified feeling?

 

If I and you should love, we two should be

If you and I love each other, the two of us

 

One love, one soul, one self, one sympathy.

Become one love, one soul, one identity, one shared feeling.

 

Analysis in Detail

John Donne’s “Lovers’ Infiniteness” explores the profound unity and inseparability of true love between two people. The poem is a meditation on how, in the experience of deep love, two individuals become so completely intertwined that they essentially merge into a single entity, both emotionally and spiritually.

The poem opens with the famous rhetorical question, “How can we know the dancer from the dance?” This metaphor suggests that the lover (the dancer) and the act of loving (the dance) are indistinguishable. Just as the dancer’s movement and the dance are one continuous expression, the lover and the love they share are inseparable. This sets the tone for the entire poem: love is not a sum of separate parts but a seamless whole.

Donne then questions the idea of measuring or quantifying love, describing it as something that cannot be calculated or divided by conventional means — “that way of measuring love, is by chance.” This implies that love defies logic and conventional measurements, existing beyond physical or numerical boundaries.

The poet uses a series of physical and sensory metaphors to illustrate the unity of love:

He points out that if the beloved has two lips and the lover has one, when they kiss, it is still considered one kiss, not two separate acts. This reflects how in love, two separate beings unite their actions and emotions into one shared experience.

Similarly, the beloved’s two eyes create one heart in the lover, showing that two separate entities evoke a single emotional response.

The image of the beloved’s two hands coming together in one clasp symbolizes the completeness and unity of love. This physical act of holding hands represents an indivisible bond.

Donne extends this to sound by comparing two voices to two instruments creating one harmonious sound, which signifies that love is a harmonious fusion of two souls, producing a single, unified expression.

In the final lines, Donne declares that if two people truly love each other, they become “One love, one soul, one self, one sympathy.” This is the poem’s core message: true love transcends individuality and merges two beings into a singular spiritual and emotional existence. The use of “one love” and “one soul” highlights the idea of unity and oneness, while “one self” suggests that the boundaries between the two lovers dissolve. “One sympathy” points to shared feelings, understanding, and empathy that characterize true love.

Overall, Donne’s poem emphasizes love’s infinite nature—its ability to unify, transcend physical divisions, and create something greater than the sum of its parts. It is a celebration of the spiritual and emotional completeness lovers achieve when fully united.

 

Possible Exam Questions

Short Answer Questions

What metaphor does John Donne use in the opening line of the poem?

 

How does Donne illustrate the unity of two lovers in the poem?

 

Explain what Donne means by “How can we know the dancer from the dance?”

 

According to the poem, what happens when two voices combine?

 

What is the central theme of “Lovers’ Infiniteness”?

 

Long Answer / Essay Questions

Discuss the concept of unity in love as presented in John Donne’s “Lovers’ Infiniteness.”

 

How does John Donne use imagery and metaphor to express the idea of two becoming one in love? Provide examples from the poem.

 

Analyze the significance of the physical and sensory examples Donne uses to explain lovers’ unity.

 

Explain how the poem challenges conventional ideas about individuality and separateness in relationships.

 

In what ways does “Lovers’ Infiniteness” reflect the metaphysical poetry style for which John Donne is known?

 

Critical Thinking / Interpretation Questions

What does Donne suggest about the nature of true love in the poem?

 

How might the idea of lovers becoming “one soul” be interpreted from a spiritual or philosophical perspective?

 

Can the poem’s message about love’s unity be applied to modern relationships? Why or why not?

 

How does the poem’s structure and use of rhetorical questions contribute to its meaning?

 

Compare the idea of love in “Lovers’ Infiniteness” to another poem or literary work you have studied.