The Legacy (or as we may thematically call it: Love’s War) by John Donne (Poem, Summary, Paraphrase, Analysis & Questions)

 

The Legacy (or as we may thematically call it: Love’s War)

by John Donne

(Poem, Summary, Paraphrase, Analysis & Questions) 

The Legacy

When I died last, and, dear, I die

As often as from thee I go,

Though it be but an hour ago,

And lovers’ hours be full eternity,

I can remember yet, that I

Something did say, and something did bestow;

Though I be dead, which sent me, I should be

Mine own executor, and legacy.

 

I heard me say, “Tell her anon,

That myself, that’s you, not I,

Did kill me,” and when I felt me die,

I bid me send my heart, when I was gone,

But I alas! could there find none,

When I had ripp’d me, and search’d where hearts did lie;

It kill’d me again, that I who still was true,

In life, in my last will should cozen you.

 

Yet I found something like a heart,

But colours it, and corners had,

It was not good, it was not bad,

It was entire to none, and few had part.

As good as could be made by art

It seem’d, and therefore for our loss be sad.

I meant to send this heart instead of mine,

But oh! no man could hold it, for ’twas thine.

 

Summary

Stanza 1:

The speaker says that when he last parted from his beloved, it felt like dying — and in fact, every time he leaves her, it feels like he dies again. Even if it was just an hour ago, the separation is so painful that time seems endless. He remembers saying something important before he left and also giving something as a gift. He imagines himself as both the person who dies and the one who is responsible for handling his own legacy (as if writing a will). His love is so intense that leaving her feels like death, and he tries to leave her something valuable — his legacy.

 

Stanza 2:

The speaker recalls that he told someone to inform his beloved that it was she (as his second self), not he, who caused his death. He remembers instructing that his heart be sent to her after his “death.” But when he tried to find his heart within himself, it was gone. He had given it to her already. This realization — that he had nothing left to give her because she already possessed his heart — struck him with grief once more. He feels almost cheated in his final act of giving, because he wanted to send her something meaningful in his “last will.”

 

Stanza 3:

He finally finds something that resembles a heart — but it lacks the genuine qualities of a true one. It has color and shape, but it’s not truly good or bad, and it doesn't fully belong to anyone. It seems like an artificial creation rather than something living. Few people had a part in it, and it was never whole for any one person. It looked as good as something made by art, but not by nature. So he regrets again, because even this fake heart he found can’t truly be offered — because even that, in the end, is hers. He realizes that everything of his heart is already hers, and he has nothing left to leave as a legacy.

 

Line-by-line Paraphrase

Stanza 1

When I died last, and, dear, I die

When I last felt like I died (from leaving you), and my dear, I feel like I die

 

As often as from thee I go,

Every time I leave you,

 

Though it be but an hour ago,

Even if I left just an hour ago,

 

And lovers’ hours be full eternity,

Because for lovers, even a short time feels like eternity,

 

I can remember yet, that I

I still remember that I

 

Something did say, and something did bestow;

Said something to you and gave something away (a gift),

 

Though I be dead, which sent me, I should be

Even though I’m “dead” (from the pain of leaving), I’m the one who sent the gift,

 

Mine own executor, and legacy.

So I’m acting as both the one who leaves something behind and the one who handles the will.

 

Stanza 2

I heard me say, “Tell her anon,

I remember saying, “Tell her soon,

 

That myself, that’s you, not I,

That it was me — which is actually you, not me —

 

Did kill me,” and when I felt me die,

Who caused my death,” and when I felt myself dying,

 

I bid me send my heart, when I was gone,

I instructed that my heart be sent to her after I was gone,

 

But I alas! could there find none,

But sadly, I couldn’t find it in me,

 

When I had ripp’d me, and search’d where hearts did lie;

Even after opening myself and searching where hearts usually are;

 

It kill’d me again, that I who still was true,

It broke my heart again that I, who always stayed faithful,

 

In life, in my last will should cozen you.

In my life and even in my final act (will), should seem to deceive you.

 

Stanza 3

Yet I found something like a heart,

Still, I found something that looked like a heart,

 

But colours it, and corners had,

But it had strange colors and oddly shaped edges,

 

It was not good, it was not bad,

It wasn’t clearly good or bad,

 

It was entire to none, and few had part.

It never truly belonged to anyone, and only a few had pieces of it.

 

As good as could be made by art

It looked as good as anything that could be made by human skill,

 

It seem’d, and therefore for our loss be sad.

It only seemed real, so we should mourn this loss.

 

I meant to send this heart instead of mine,

I planned to send this in place of my own heart,

 

But oh! no man could hold it, for ’twas thine.

But alas! no man could possess it — because it was already yours.

 

Analysis in Detail

Tone and Voice

The tone of the poem is melancholic, reflective, and subtly ironic. The speaker adopts a tone of mock-seriousness, presenting his temporary absence from his beloved as a kind of emotional death, and speaks in legal and funereal terms — “executor,” “legacy,” “will” — to describe the intensity of his love and loss. There's also a deep emotional sincerity behind the intellectual play.

 

Theme of Love as Death and Sacrifice

At the heart of the poem is the metaphysical conceit — a metaphor that likens the pain of separation in love to actual death. For the speaker, each moment away from his beloved is a form of dying. This dramatization of love turns emotional pain into something solemn and final, as if love were a terminal illness or battlefield injury. Donne explores emotional sacrifice, as the speaker attempts to leave behind a meaningful “legacy” — namely, his heart.

 

Dual Identity and Self-Effacement in Love

Donne plays with the idea that the lover and the beloved are so united that they become one: “myself, that’s you, not I.” In this, the speaker suggests that the beloved is both the cause of his death and the one who owns him completely — she has taken over his very identity. This blurring of boundaries between "I" and "you" expresses the depth of emotional entanglement in romantic love. The speaker no longer distinguishes himself as separate.

 

The Lost Heart and False Substitute

A powerful image appears when the speaker goes looking for his heart to send to his beloved — only to discover it’s already gone, taken by love. The heart here becomes a symbol of total surrender. Even in death, he can’t give her his heart because she already owns it.

 

What he finds instead is a counterfeit heart — one that resembles a real one but lacks authenticity. It’s described as oddly colored, imperfectly shaped, and emotionally neutral. This artificial heart represents the emptiness of anything he can offer now, since his real love has already been completely given. This deepens the poem’s emotional conflict: the inability to offer a gift because the giving has already happened fully and irreversibly.

 

Metaphysical Wit and Irony

Donne’s hallmark is present in the metaphysical wit throughout. The poem treats an emotional experience using the vocabulary of legal wills, executor duties, and post-mortem legacy. The result is a striking contrast between the solemn, external language and the deeply personal subject.

There is also a strain of irony: The speaker sets out to make a grand gesture — leaving his heart as a legacy — but ends up admitting he has nothing to give, because he has already given everything. Even in his attempt to give more, he finds that he’s powerless, because true love takes all.

 

Reluctant Resolution

The ending leaves us in a state of emotional resignation. The speaker comes to terms with the fact that even the act of giving is futile, because he no longer owns anything — everything that matters has already been given to the beloved. The only heart he could offer is already hers.

This suggests a love so complete that nothing is left for gestures, for performance, or for posturing. It’s a quiet surrender to the truth of deep emotional possession.

 

Conclusion

“The Legacy” is a classic example of Donne’s ability to mix emotional depth, intellectual complexity, and metaphysical imagery. He turns love into a battlefield where the heart is both weapon and spoil, the lover is both victim and giver, and the act of loving is indistinguishable from dying.

It is not just a poem about separation — it’s about the total and irreversible giving of the self. And once that self has been given away, nothing — not even a poetic legacy — remains to be offered.

 

Possible Exam Questions

What does the speaker mean when he says, “When I died last, and, dear, I die”?

 

Why does the speaker refer to himself as both the executor and the legacy?

 

What does the speaker find when he searches for his heart?

 

How does the speaker explain the absence of his heart?

 

What does the speaker mean by “mine own executor”?

 

Reference to Context (RTC) Questions

Q1. Read the lines and answer the following:

“Though I be dead, which sent me, I should be

Mine own executor, and legacy.”

a) What kind of death is the speaker referring to?

b) How does the speaker assume dual roles here?

c) What literary device is being used in this paradox?

 

Q2.

“Yet I found something like a heart,

But colours it, and corners had,”

a) Why is the speaker dissatisfied with this heart?

b) What do the “colours” and “corners” suggest?

c) What does this reveal about the theme of the poem?

 

Discuss the theme of love and emotional surrender in Donne’s The Legacy.

 

How does Donne use metaphysical imagery to convey the idea of parting as death?

 

Explain the significance of the search for the heart in The Legacy.

 

Describe the conflict between emotional sincerity and intellectual play in Donne’s poem.

 

Examine how The Legacy illustrates John Donne’s unique treatment of love and identity.

 

How does Donne employ irony in The Legacy?

 

Analyze the use of legal and funerary imagery in the poem.

 

“Love takes all — even the power to give.” How does The Legacy reflect this idea?

 

In what ways does the poem reflect the characteristics of Metaphysical poetry?

 

Compare The Legacy with any other Donne poem in terms of theme and tone.