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

 

The Comparison

by John Donne

(Poem, Summary, Paraphrase, Analysis & Questions) 

The Comparison

As the sweet sweat of roses in a still,

As that which from chafed musk-cat's pores doth trill,

As the almighty balm of th' early East,

Such are the sweat drops of my mistress' breast,

And on her neck her skin such lustre sets,

They envy her the white Arabian frets.

Her breath is more sweet than a gentle Southwest wind,

That comes to woo the flowers, and takes the scent behind.

My mistress, when she goes, is like a spring

That leaves a lusher world than it finds,

Not like the spring that only brings

The smell of rottenness and slime from ditches and blind ponds.

 

But here’s the hard contrast—

A thing which no ease can redress:

Her body is as foul as a common road,

Which all corrupts that doth it loads.

As in a dungeon, darkness doth succeed

The stealing light, with dreadful speed;

So doth thy face,

Clutch all beauty and all grace.

Thy breath is like a chain of frogs,

Thy voice as broken as untempered clogs.

Thy limbs do but obey thy face's laws—

And scabs and leprosy deface thy jaws.

Thou art not worth the hanging of a dog

That hath been flayed.

 

This poem is a satirical and erotic elegy, blending admiration with brutal mockery. Donne juxtaposes a mistress of refined beauty with another of repulsive appearance and demeanor, employing stark contrasts, exotic imagery, and bodily metaphors—typical of his metaphysical style.

 

Summary

The speaker begins the poem by praising the physical beauty of his mistress. He uses a series of rich and exotic comparisons to describe her:

Her sweat is compared to the fragrant scent of roses in a still room, or the musk that seeps from a musk-cat’s skin.

He likens her to the balm of the East, a precious and aromatic substance, emphasizing her sweetness and rarity.

Her neck glows with such radiance that even white Arabian pearls seem dull by comparison.

Her breath is more delightful than the soft southwest wind that woos flowers and carries away their fragrance.

When she walks, she’s like a springtime that enriches everything it touches, unlike the spring that might bring rot and decay from stagnant water.

After establishing this idealized image of his mistress, the speaker shifts dramatically to describe another woman, using grotesque and degrading imagery. This second woman serves as a contrast to his beloved:

Her body is compared to a filthy road that is corrupted by everything that passes over it.

Her presence is like darkness suddenly replacing light in a dungeon, suggesting she brings an overwhelming ugliness.

Her face is so unpleasant that it overpowers and destroys any beauty or charm.

Her breath is likened to the croaking of frogs, and her voice is described as broken and unpleasant, like badly made shoes.

Her body and limbs are just as unattractive as her face; her jaws are disfigured with scabs and signs of disease, possibly leprosy.

The speaker concludes this cruel contrast by saying she is less valuable than a skinned dog, unfit even to be hung.

The poem ends on this severe note, having painted one woman with rich, sensual beauty and the other with shocking physical repulsiveness—offering a stark and vivid side-by-side comparison of the two.

 

Line-by-line Paraphrase

1. As the sweet sweat of roses in a still,

→ Like the delicate fragrance of roses in a closed room,

 

2. As that which from chafed musk-cat’s pores doth trill,

→ Like the scent that comes out from the rubbed skin of a musk-cat,

 

3. As the almighty balm of th’ early East,

→ Like the powerful and costly balm from the East,

 

4. Such are the sweat drops of my mistress’ breast,

→ That’s how sweet the sweat is on my mistress’s chest.

 

5. And on her neck her skin such lustre sets,

→ Her skin shines so brightly on her neck,

 

6. They envy her the white Arabian frets.

→ Even the famous white Arabian pearls envy her skin’s glow.

 

7. Her breath is more sweet than a gentle Southwest wind,

→ Her breath smells sweeter than a soft southwest breeze,

 

8. That comes to woo the flowers, and takes the scent behind.

→ The kind of breeze that kisses flowers and carries their fragrance away.

 

9. My mistress, when she goes, is like a spring

→ When my mistress walks, she’s like the season of spring,

 

10. That leaves a lusher world than it finds,

→ She makes everything more beautiful than it was before.

 

11. Not like the spring that only brings

→ Not like the kind of spring that just brings

 

12. The smell of rottenness and slime from ditches and blind ponds.

→ The foul smell of decay and slime from stagnant ditches and ponds.

 

(From this point on, the speaker begins describing the other woman harshly.)

 

13. But here’s the hard contrast—

→ But now let me show you the big difference—

 

14. A thing which no ease can redress:

→ Something so bad, no comfort can fix it.

 

15. Her body is as foul as a common road,

→ Her body is as filthy as a well-used road,

 

16. Which all corrupts that doth it loads.

→ Which spoils everything that touches or travels over it.

 

17. As in a dungeon, darkness doth succeed

→ Like in a dark prison, where light quickly disappears,

 

18. The stealing light, with dreadful speed;

→ Darkness takes over the fading light very quickly;

 

19. So doth thy face,

→ The same happens with your face,

 

20. Clutch all beauty and all grace.

→ It grabs and destroys any trace of beauty or grace.

 

21. Thy breath is like a chain of frogs,

→ Your breath sounds like the croaking of frogs one after another,

 

22. Thy voice as broken as untempered clogs.

→ Your voice is rough and broken, like poorly made wooden shoes.

 

23. Thy limbs do but obey thy face’s laws—

→ The rest of your body is just as ugly as your face,

 

24. And scabs and leprosy deface thy jaws.

→ And your jaws are covered in scabs and show signs of leprosy.

 

25. Thou art not worth the hanging of a dog

→ You’re not even worth the value of a dead dog

 

26. That hath been flayed.

→ One that has had its skin stripped off.

 

Analysis in Detail

“Elegy: The Comparison” is a bold and provocative metaphysical poem in which John Donne sets up a stark contrast between two women—one beautiful, sensual, and admired; the other grotesque, repulsive, and mocked. The poem showcases Donne’s talent for dramatic contrasts, extended metaphors, and vivid sensory imagery, with a tone that shifts from romantic and adoring to sarcastic and brutal. It is one of Donne’s most controversial elegies due to its unflinching use of physical imagery and its shocking, even cruel, tone.

 

Tone and Structure:

The poem is essentially divided into two halves:

Lines 1–12: Praise of the speaker’s mistress using luxurious, exotic, and sensual metaphors.

Lines 13–26: A scathing description of another woman, using grotesque and dehumanizing imagery.

The tone shifts sharply in the middle. It begins with admiration, awe, and reverence, then quickly turns into biting satire and ridicule. This jarring contrast gives the poem its power and memorability.

 

Use of Imagery and Metaphor:

Donne is a master of metaphysical conceits—extended, often bizarre comparisons that are intellectually clever and emotionally charged. In the first half, the speaker describes his mistress’s bodily attributes using imagery drawn from:

Nature and luxury (e.g., “sweet sweat of roses,” “musk-cat,” “balm of the East”)

Jewels and fragrance (“white Arabian frets,” “gentle southwest wind”)

These comparisons elevate the woman to an almost mythic status, aligning her beauty with richness, sweetness, and the regenerative power of spring.

In contrast, the second woman is depicted using ugly, revolting imagery:

A “common road” walked by many

A “dungeon” overtaken by darkness

“Breath like a chain of frogs,” “scabs,” and “leprosy”

This shift in imagery is more than just insulting—it’s symbolic. The speaker likens her not to natural beauty but to disease, dirt, and corruption. His metaphors not only degrade her physical appearance but attack her very being.

 

Themes:

Ideal vs. Reality / Beauty vs. Ugliness

The poem dramatically contrasts two extremes of female physicality and presence. One is the idealized vision of sensual beauty, the other the exaggerated horror of ugliness. The ideal is described with love and reverence; the opposite is described with disgust and scorn.

 

Objectification and Bodily Focus

Donne unabashedly objectifies both women, reducing them to their physical attributes. The focus on bodily details—sweat, breath, skin, and voice—reveals a concern with sensual experience and physical judgment. It reflects a Renaissance-era tension between spiritual love and carnal desire.

 

Cruelty and Satirical Wit

The poem’s second half is saturated with cruelty. But this cruelty is not random—it’s a witty attack, likely exaggerated for comic and rhetorical effect. The humor is dark and biting, designed to mock not just a woman, but perhaps the very idea of conventional poetic praise.

 

Language and Style:

Donne’s language is intentionally rich and textured in the first section—evocative and sweet-sounding. His use of alliteration, rhythm, and soft vowels enhances the musicality. The words feel lush, slow, and indulgent, mimicking the pleasure he associates with his mistress.

In the second section, the diction becomes harsh, abrupt, and ugly. Harsh consonants, clunky metaphors, and grotesque descriptions shift the rhythm and feel of the poem. It becomes almost violent, reinforcing the speaker’s emotional repulsion.

 

Perspective and Intention:

The speaker may be read as a mocking courtier, making a public performance of preference, or as a lover justifying his affection for one woman by cruelly demeaning another. Either way, the poem is performative and exaggerated. The grotesque satire might reflect more on the speaker’s judgmental tone than on the reality of the women themselves.

It is also possible that Donne is mocking traditional poetic forms. By taking the typical “comparison of women” found in Renaissance love poetry to absurd and vulgar extremes, he may be critiquing the way women are praised or condemned based solely on appearance.

 

Historical and Literary Context:

Written during the late 16th or early 17th century, this poem is part of Donne’s “Elegies”, which often broke social and poetic conventions. The metaphysical poets, including Donne, favored startling imagery, philosophical reflection, and dramatic monologue.

“Elegy: The Comparison” would have shocked many of Donne’s contemporaries with its earthy and graphic descriptions. Yet it also reflects the wit and intellectual daring that was valued among certain elite literary circles.

 

Conclusion:

“Elegy: The Comparison” is a poem of contrast, satire, and sensuality. With biting wit and vivid imagery, Donne elevates one woman to almost divine beauty while dragging another into the mud of physical disgust. The poem’s genius lies in its language and form—its bold use of metaphysical conceit, tonal contrast, and provocative content. Though it may seem cruel by modern standards, it reflects a poetic culture fascinated by paradox, intensity, and emotional extremes.

 

Possible Exam Questions

Who is the speaker comparing in “Elegy: The Comparison”?

 

Mention two metaphors used to describe the speaker’s mistress.

 

What does Donne compare the second woman’s breath to?

 

What is the tone shift in the poem, and where does it occur?

 

Why does Donne refer to “white Arabian frets”?

 

What does the speaker say about the second woman’s voice?

 

What is the meaning of “Her body is as foul as a common road”?

 

How does Donne describe the effect of the mistress’s presence on her surroundings?

 

Describe the contrasting imagery used in “Elegy: The Comparison.”

 

How does Donne use metaphysical conceits in the poem?

 

In what way is this elegy different from traditional love poetry?

 

Discuss the theme of beauty and ugliness in Donne’s poem.

 

What role does satire play in “Elegy: The Comparison”?

 

Comment on Donne’s use of sensory imagery in the first half of the poem.

 

Analyze the structure and tone of John Donne’s “Elegy: The Comparison.” How do they contribute to the overall effect of the poem?

 

Examine the use of metaphors and conceits in “Elegy: The Comparison” and how they reflect Donne’s metaphysical style.

 

How does Donne contrast sensual beauty and physical repulsiveness in the poem? Discuss with reference to imagery and language.

 

To what extent can “Elegy: The Comparison” be seen as a satire on Renaissance ideals of beauty and poetic tradition?

 

Discuss the poem as an example of John Donne’s bold and unconventional approach to love poetry.

 

Is the speaker’s harsh treatment of the second woman justified within the context of the poem? Why or why not?

 

How does Donne manipulate the reader’s emotional response through his use of contrast?

 

Can “Elegy: The Comparison” be read as a critique of objectification in love poetry? Justify your view.

 

Consider the speaker’s voice in the poem. Is he sincere or ironic? Give evidence from the text.