The Love’s Deity By John Donne (Poem, Summary, Paraphrase, Analysis & Questions)

 

The Love’s Deity

By John Donne

(Poem, Summary, Paraphrase, Analysis & Questions) 

The Love’s Deity

I long to talk with some old lover’s ghost,

Who died before the god of Love was born:

I cannot think that he, who then lov’d most,

Sunk so low as to love one which did scorn.

But since this god produc’d a destiny,

And that vice-nature, custom, lets it be,

I must love her that loves not me.

 

Sure, they which made him god, meant not so much,

Nor he in his young godhead practis’d it.

But when an even flame two hearts did touch,

His office was indulgently to fit

Actives to passives. So to bring one fire

Out of discord, two harmonies in one choir;

He did but somewhat take from Nature’s might,

And nothing added, yet he was a god by right.

 

Love’s deity, as well as Love, might shine

And so, since deity alone makes not

His godhead, better by love’s essence is divine.

His power, his throne, his sphere, are ours, not his.

So when our hearts found equal monarchy,

Love could but get an empire by sympathy.

 

What power hath Love but what the lover gives?

Love's god is weak, and wounded from above.

His arrows kill not what he cannot move,

And are as impotent as he is blind.

The power of Love then lieth in the mind.

Can he then rule the heart, who cannot bind the will?

 

Yet if he rule in heaven, where it is his sphere,

Let him in mine, as lesser things, appear.

A subject to the soul, command his fire,

And let me love her whom I must admire.

 

Summary

Stanza 1:

The speaker wishes he could speak with the ghost of a lover who lived and died before the god of Love (Cupid) was born. He believes that true lovers from that ancient time would never have loved someone who did not return their love. But now, because Love has become a god and because social customs allow it, he finds himself in a painful situation: he must love a woman who does not love him back.

 

Stanza 2:

He reflects that the creators of Love’s godhood probably didn’t intend for it to work this way—forcing people to love those who don’t return the affection. In the early days of Love's godhood, when love was mutual between two people, the god's role was simply to match active lovers with passive ones, creating harmony between them. Love didn’t add anything new to Nature, only slightly adjusted it. Still, this was enough to make Love a god.

 

Stanza 3:

The speaker continues by saying that Love's divine nature didn’t come only from his being a deity, but from the essence of love itself. Love’s power and domain are not really his own, but rather belong to the lovers who feel love. When two people love each other equally, Love merely gains his power through their shared feelings. Thus, his empire exists only because lovers allow it.

 

Stanza 4:

He questions the power of Love. What strength does Love have apart from what lovers give him? Love, as a god, is weak and even wounded. His arrows (which cause people to fall in love) cannot hurt those who resist them. They are powerless, just like Love himself, who is also blind. Therefore, Love's true power lies in the human mind. If Love cannot control the will, how can he command the heart?

 

Stanza 5:

Still, the speaker concedes that if Love truly rules in Heaven—his proper realm—then he may appear in his life too, but only as a subject under the control of the soul. He should not be a master. Love’s fire should be commanded by reason, not the other way around. And so, the speaker concludes by saying that even though the woman he admires does not return his love, he is still forced to love her.

 

Line-by-line Paraphrase

1. I long to talk with some old lover’s ghost,

I wish I could speak with the spirit of a lover from ancient times,

 

2. Who died before the god of Love was born:

Someone who lived and died before Love (Cupid) was made into a god.

 

3. I cannot think that he, who then lov’d most,

I don’t believe that a true lover from that time

 

4. Sunk so low as to love one which did scorn.

Would ever lower himself by loving someone who rejected him.

 

5. But since this god produc’d a destiny,

But now that this god (Love) creates our fate,

 

6. And that vice-nature, custom, lets it be,

And since society allows what goes against natural order,

 

7. I must love her that loves not me.

I’m forced to love someone who does not love me back.

 

8. Sure, they which made him god, meant not so much,

Surely, those who made Love into a god didn’t intend this kind of suffering,

 

9. Nor he in his young godhead practis’d it.

Nor did Love, when newly made a god, behave like this.

 

10. But when an even flame two hearts did touch,

Back then, when love was mutual between two hearts,

 

11. His office was indulgently to fit

Love’s role was simply and kindly to bring

 

12. Actives to passives. So to bring one fire

The active and passive lovers together—two people into one passion,

 

13. Out of discord, two harmonies in one choir;

To make harmony out of disharmony, uniting them like a choir.

 

14. He did but somewhat take from Nature’s might,

He only slightly adjusted Nature’s power,

 

15. And nothing added, yet he was a god by right.

He didn’t create anything new, yet he became a god anyway.

 

16. Love’s deity, as well as Love, might shine

Being a god and the feeling of love itself are both powerful,

 

17. And so, since deity alone makes not

And since being called a god alone doesn't prove true power,

 

18. His godhead, better by love’s essence is divine.

His godhood becomes more meaningful through the essence of real love.

 

19. His power, his throne, his sphere, are ours, not his.

His power, throne, and influence actually come from us, not from himself.

 

20. So when our hearts found equal monarchy,

So when two hearts love equally,

 

21. Love could but get an empire by sympathy.

Love only gains power because of that mutual feeling—sympathy.

 

22. What power hath Love but what the lover gives?

What power does Love have except what the lovers give him?

 

23. Love's god is weak, and wounded from above.

The god of Love is weak and vulnerable, hurt even from above.

 

24. His arrows kill not what he cannot move,

His arrows can’t hurt someone whose heart doesn’t respond.

 

25. And are as impotent as he is blind.

His weapons are useless, just like him—blind and powerless.

 

26. The power of Love then lieth in the mind.

So Love’s power truly lies in the human mind.

 

27. Can he then rule the heart, who cannot bind the will?

If he can’t control our will, how can he control our hearts?

 

28. Yet if he rule in heaven, where it is his sphere,

Still, if Love truly reigns in Heaven, where he belongs,

 

29. Let him in mine, as lesser things, appear.

Then in my heart, let him appear as a lesser power, not a ruler.

 

30. A subject to the soul, command his fire,

He should be a servant to my soul, and my reason should control his passion (fire),

 

31. And let me love her whom I must admire.

And let me go on loving the woman I cannot help but admire.

 

Analysis in Detail

Theme: The Tyranny and Illusion of Love

At its core, The Love’s Deity is a bitter yet witty meditation on unrequited love. Donne critiques the notion of Love as a powerful god (often represented by Cupid), arguing that love should be mutual to be meaningful. He presents love not as a divine, noble force but as an oppressive and irrational compulsion—especially when it is not returned. This shifts the traditional Renaissance ideal of courtly love into something closer to torment or disease.

The central conflict is philosophical and emotional: the speaker is caught between his reason (which tells him love should be fair and equal) and his feelings (which bind him to a woman who does not love him back). He questions the morality, logic, and even the divinity of a force that makes people suffer so deeply.

 

Tone: Skeptical, Bitter, and Reflective

Donne adopts a tone of skepticism throughout the poem. Though his language is formal and witty, there’s a clear emotional undercurrent of frustration and disappointment. He opens with a longing for a time before Love was “made” into a god—as though blaming society or myth for corrupting the natural experience of affection.

There’s also a mocking tone toward Cupid and the romantic ideals that uphold him. Donne ridicules the idea that a blind god could wield such irrational control over people’s hearts, and his closing lines suggest a reluctant submission rather than joyful devotion.

 

Structure and Form

The poem is written in five stanzas of seven lines each, following an ABABCCC rhyme scheme. This blend of alternating rhyme (in the quatrain) and a closing couplet (or triplet) gives each stanza a sense of intellectual development, followed by emphatic resolution.

Donne’s syntax is dense and intricate, typical of metaphysical poetry. He employs enjambment (running sentences across lines) and rhetorical devices like antithesis, paradox, and rhetorical questions, which mirror the speaker’s inner conflict and complex reasoning.

 

Poetic Devices

Personification of Love:

Love is treated as a god with powers, rules, weapons (arrows), and weaknesses. Donne questions this personification by suggesting Love is blind, impotent, and dependent on humans for power.

 

Irony and Satire:

Donne mocks the traditional view of divine or courtly love. The idea that Love is a deity is shown to be both man-made and absurd, especially when love is one-sided.

 

Metaphysical Conceits:

Donne uses intellectual metaphors to describe emotional experiences—for example, comparing love to fire, monarchy, harmony, and empire. These conceits elevate personal frustration into philosophical debate.

 

Paradox:

The poem thrives on paradoxes: love as a god without real power; a deity created by humans; passion that enslaves reason; admiration without affection. These serve to highlight the contradictions within romantic ideals.

 

Rhetorical Questions:

Donne uses questions to challenge both the audience and Love itself:

“Can he then rule the heart, who cannot bind the will?”

“What power hath Love but what the lover gives?”

These questions expose Love’s supposed power as an illusion.

 

Philosophical Exploration

The speaker is not merely lamenting heartbreak; he is questioning the foundations of emotional truth. He wonders:

Is love natural, or a social construct?

Is mutual love the only valid form?

Can reason overcome desire?

Should we submit to love's irrational pull or resist it?

In this way, Donne’s poem functions as both a personal complaint and a philosophical inquiry. He is caught in an intellectual and emotional dilemma, seeing the absurdity of his own situation (loving without being loved) and yet being unable to escape it.

 

Ending: A Defeated Acceptance

In the final stanza, the speaker seems to concede. Even though he wishes Love were subject to reason, he admits that he still loves the woman who does not love him. His final line — "And let me love her whom I must admire." — reveals a painful resignation. He accepts that admiration and love may coexist without reciprocity, despite his belief that this shouldn't be the case.

This ending underscores one of Donne’s most human messages: even when our intellect protests, the heart often wins — and not always for the best.

 

Conclusion

John Donne’s The Love’s Deity is a rich, thoughtful, and deeply conflicted poem that explores the limits of reason in matters of love. With sharp wit and philosophical depth, Donne challenges romantic ideals and mocks the notion of love as a god-like force. The poem ultimately captures a timeless emotional truth: we often love not by choice, but by compulsion, even when it brings sorrow. Through its complex structure, clever language, and emotional honesty, this poem remains a powerful reflection on unrequited love and the illusions of romantic power.

 

Possible Exam Questions

Who is the “god of Love” referred to in the poem The Love’s Deity?

 

Why does the speaker wish to speak with an “old lover’s ghost”?

 

What does Donne mean by the line: “I must love her that loves not me”?

 

How does Donne describe the power of Love in the poem?

 

What is the speaker’s final attitude towards the woman he loves?

 

What rhetorical devices are commonly used in The Love’s Deity?

 

In which way is Love depicted as powerless or impotent in the poem?

 

What is the rhyme scheme used in the poem The Love’s Deity?

 

Discuss the central conflict in The Love’s Deity.

 

How does Donne portray unrequited love in the poem?

 

Explain the significance of the line: “Can he then rule the heart, who cannot bind the will?”

 

Comment on Donne’s treatment of Love as both a deity and a man-made force.

 

How does the speaker reconcile his reason and emotion in the poem?

 

Examine how The Love’s Deity reflects John Donne’s metaphysical style.

 

Analyze the use of irony and wit in The Love’s Deity.

 

Explore how Donne challenges conventional ideas about love and romantic ideals in this poem.

 

How does the poem represent the tension between passion and reason?

 

Compare The Love’s Deity with another poem by Donne that deals with unrequited or conflicted love.

 

Critically appreciate The Love’s Deity with reference to Donne’s philosophical depth and poetic technique.

 

Write a detailed critical note on how Donne questions the divinity of Love in The Love’s Deity.