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

 

The Indifferent

by John Donne

(Poem, Summary, Paraphrase, Analysis & Questions) 

The Indifferent

I can love both fair and brown:

Her whom abundance melts, and her whom want betrays;

Her who loves loneness best, and her who masks and plays;

Her whom the country form’d, and whom the town;

Her who believes, and her who tries;

Her who still weeps with spongy eyes,

And her who is dry cork, and never cries;

I can love her, and her, and you, and you;

I can love any, so she be not true.

 

Will no other vice content you?

Will it not serve your turn to do, as did your mothers?

Or have you all old vices spent, and now would find out others?

Or doth a fear that men are true torment you?

O we are not, be not you so;

Let me—and do you—twenty know;

Rob me, but bind me not, and let me go.

Must I, who came to travail through you,

Grow your fixed subject, because you are true?

 

Venus heard me sigh this song;

And by love’s sweetest part, variety, she swore,

She heard not this till now; and that it should be so no more.

She went, examined, and return’d ere long,

And said, “Alas, some two or three

Poor heretics in love there be,

Which think to ’stablish dangerous constancy.

But I have told them, since you will be true,

You shall be true to them, who’re false to you.”

 

Summary

Stanza 1 Summary:

The speaker declares that he is capable of loving all kinds of women, regardless of their appearance, behavior, or background.

He says he can love both fair (light-skinned) and brown (darker-skinned) women.

He can love a woman who is wealthy and indulgent, as well as one who is poor and vulnerable.

He’s drawn to both the reserved, private woman and the one who masks her feelings or performs socially.

He expresses openness to women from the countryside and from the city.

He can love both the faithful believer and the skeptic who tests love.

He is equally attracted to the woman who is emotional and always weeping and to the one who is dry and unemotional.

He concludes the stanza by saying he can love any woman — as long as she is not faithful. That is his only condition.

 

Stanza 2 Summary:

The speaker questions why women insist on being faithful.

He asks whether faithfulness alone will satisfy them.

He wonders whether they are merely following their mothers' unfaithful ways or whether they’ve already exhausted the old vices and are now experimenting with new ones.

He implies that women may fear that men are faithful, and that such a fear might torment them.

He assures them that men are not faithful, so the women need not worry or try to be faithful themselves.

He invites them to cheat on him freely, but not to tie him down or expect loyalty.

He protests the idea of becoming a “fixed subject” — someone committed to just one woman — merely because she insists on being faithful.

 

Stanza 3 Summary:

The speaker says that the goddess Venus (the Roman goddess of love) heard him sighing this song.

She was impressed by his celebration of variety in love, which she considers to be the sweetest part of love.

She claimed she had never heard such an idea before and decided that this idea should now be enforced.

Venus then investigated the matter, presumably checking the state of human love.

She found that there were only two or three “heretics” who still believed in faithful love, which she found to be dangerous.

She told them that since they insist on being faithful, they would be matched with those who are unfaithful to them — meaning they will suffer for their constancy.

 

Line-by-line Paraphrase

Stanza 1

 

1. I can love both fair and brown:

I can fall in love with women who are light-skinned or dark-skinned.

 

2. Her whom abundance melts, and her whom want betrays;

I can love a woman who is spoiled by wealth and one who is suffering from poverty.

 

3. Her who loves loneness best, and her who masks and plays;

I can love a woman who prefers solitude and one who pretends and socializes.

 

4. Her whom the country form’d, and whom the town;

I can love a country girl or a city girl.

 

5. Her who believes, and her who tries;

I can love a woman who has strong faith or one who experiments or questions.

 

6. Her who still weeps with spongy eyes,

I can love the woman who is always crying and emotional.

 

7. And her who is dry cork, and never cries;

And I can love one who is emotionless and never sheds a tear.

 

8. I can love her, and her, and you, and you;

I can love any of these women, even multiple at once—including you.

 

9. I can love any, so she be not true.

I can love any woman, as long as she is not faithful.

 

Stanza 2

10. Will no other vice content you?

Isn’t any other kind of wrongdoing enough for you?

 

11. Will it not serve your turn to do, as did your mothers?

Can’t you just behave like your mothers did (implying unfaithfulness)?

 

12. Or have you all old vices spent, and now would find out others?

Or have you used up all the old sins and now want to invent new ones?

 

13. Or doth a fear that men are true torment you?

Or are you afraid that men might actually be faithful?

 

14. O we are not, be not you so;

We men are not faithful—so don’t you be either.

 

15. Let me—and do you—twenty know;

Let me and let yourself have relationships with twenty different lovers.

 

16. Rob me, but bind me not, and let me go.

Steal my heart if you like, but don’t tie me down—let me be free.

 

17. Must I, who came to travail through you,

Must I, who only intended to pass through your life briefly,

 

18. Grow your fixed subject, because you are true?

Be forced to stay and be loyal to you just because you choose to be loyal?

 

Stanza 3

19. Venus heard me sigh this song;

The goddess Venus heard me singing this love complaint.

 

20. And by love’s sweetest part, variety, she swore,

She swore by the best part of love—variety—that

 

21. She heard not this till now; and that it should be so no more.

She had never heard this idea before, and now things must change.

 

22. She went, examined, and return’d ere long,

She investigated the situation and came back soon.

 

23. And said, “Alas, some two or three

And said, “Unfortunately, there are still two or three people

 

24. Poor heretics in love there be,

Poor fools who are ‘heretics’—they believe in faithful love.

 

25. Which think to ’stablish dangerous constancy.

They want to make faithfulness in love a permanent thing, which is dangerous.

 

26. But I have told them, since you will be true,

But I’ve told them, since they insist on being faithful,

 

27. You shall be true to them, who’re false to you.”

They will be matched with lovers who are unfaithful to them.

 

Analysis in Detail

Overview:

John Donne’s “The Indifferent” is a witty, provocative poem in which the speaker openly rejects the idea of constancy or faithfulness in love. He boasts of his ability to love all types of women indiscriminately, regardless of their appearance, background, or personality—as long as they are not faithful. The poem mixes light irony with sharp satire, mocking the social expectation of romantic fidelity. Donne blends classical mythology (Venus) with real-world commentary, ultimately turning traditional love ideals upside down.

 

Tone and Voice:

The speaker’s tone is:

Cynical about romantic loyalty.

Flippant and humorous in his disregard for monogamy.

Mock-serious, as he mimics the seriousness of a love poem but fills it with unserious and rebellious content.

He presents himself as a libertine—free from the rules of love—and uses a tone that borders on playful arrogance. He’s not so much confessing love as mocking it.

 

Structure and Form:

The poem consists of three nine-line stanzas, written in iambic tetrameter, with an irregular rhyme scheme that roughly follows ABABCCDDD. The rhythm is steady, almost songlike, reflecting the poem’s playful, conversational tone. The consistent structure also contrasts with the speaker’s chaotic views on love, adding a layer of irony.

 

Themes:

Inconstancy in Love:

The core theme is the rejection of faithful, constant love. The speaker champions freedom, variety, and change, insisting that love should not be tied to one person.

 

Rebellion Against Social Norms:

Donne is challenging the Renaissance ideal of romantic constancy. The speaker sees it as unnatural and even dangerous.

 

The Irony of Faithfulness:

In a striking reversal, the speaker says he can love anyone except a woman who is faithful. In his view, faithfulness traps and binds a person, turning love into a burden.

 

Power Dynamics in Relationships:

The speaker resents being “bound” by a woman’s fidelity. He wants freedom and control, and suggests that true power in love lies in emotional detachment and liberty.

 

Mythology and Divine Approval:

By invoking Venus, the goddess of love, the speaker gives divine approval to his ideas. Venus herself agrees with him, suggesting even the gods favor inconstancy over fidelity.

 

Literary Devices:

 

Paradox:

“I can love any, so she be not true.”

→ The contradiction here is deliberate: usually, unfaithfulness ends love; for him, it begins it.

 

Hyperbole:

The speaker’s claim to love any type of woman—rich or poor, joyful or tearful—is exaggerated for comic effect.

 

Irony and Satire:

Donne uses irony throughout: he presents immoral behavior as preferable to virtue.

His satire targets romantic idealism, suggesting it’s naïve and unrealistic.

 

Allusion:

Reference to Venus adds classical weight, but also mock-justification for the speaker’s libertine lifestyle.

 

Repetition:

“Her...and her...and you...and you...”

→ Repetition mimics his emotional shallowness and enhances the idea of indiscriminate affection.

 

Characterization of the Speaker:

The speaker is:

Amoral in love—he sees no moral obligation to be faithful.

Manipulative—he tries to convince women that it is they who are out of step if they want true love.

Self-indulgent—he wants freedom without consequence.

Mocking—he enjoys turning the conventional idea of love on its head, using humor as a weapon.

 

Use of Myth and Allegory:

The final stanza adds a mythological layer, where Venus not only supports the speaker’s view but punishes those who insist on constancy. This mythic frame makes his argument seem grand and universal, while also clearly satirical—Donne mocks the way people justify selfish desires by appealing to higher powers.

 

Conclusion:

“The Indifferent” is a clever, subversive poem that challenges the moral values of its time. John Donne, through a bold and irreverent speaker, flips the traditional love poem into a playful manifesto for emotional freedom and promiscuity. The poem is not just about love—it’s about the illusion of love, the constraints of loyalty, and the human desire to avoid confinement. While humorous, the poem also delivers a deeper commentary on the nature of relationships and the tension between desire and duty.

 

Possible Exam Questions

 

What is the speaker’s attitude toward faithful women in “The Indifferent”?

 

Who is Venus in the poem, and what role does she play?

 

What kind of women does the speaker claim he can love?

 

What does the speaker mean by “I can love any, so she be not true”?

 

Identify two contrasting types of women mentioned in the first stanza.

 

Summarize the speaker’s view of love in “The Indifferent.”

 

How does Donne use irony in the poem to challenge traditional ideas of love and constancy?

 

Explain how Venus responds to the speaker’s view of love in the final stanza.

 

Discuss the use of paradox and how it contributes to the theme of the poem.

 

How does the poem reflect the speaker’s desire for personal freedom in love?

 

Discuss how John Donne uses wit and satire to convey a cynical view of love in “The Indifferent.”

 

Examine the structure and poetic devices in the poem and how they support the speaker’s argument.

 

Evaluate the portrayal of constancy and inconstancy in love as presented in the poem.

 

How does “The Indifferent” reflect characteristics of metaphysical poetry?

 

Is the speaker’s argument in “The Indifferent” serious or ironic? Discuss with close reference to the text.