To the Countess of Salisbury (August 1614) by John Donne (Poem, Summary, Paraphrase & Analysis)

 

To the Countess of Salisbury (August 1614)

by John Donne

(Poem, Summary, Paraphrase & Analysis) 

To the Countess of Salisbury (August 1614)

Fair, great, and good, since seeing you, we see

What heaven can do, and what any earth can be:

Since now your beauty shines, now when the sun

Grown stale, is to so low a value run,

That his dishevelled beams and scattered fires

Serve but for ladies’ periwigs and tires

In lovers’ sonnets: you come to repair

God’s book of creatures, teaching what is fair;

Since now, when all is withered, shrunk, and dried,

All virtue ebbed out to a dead low tide,

All the world’s frame being crumbled into sand,

Where every man thinks by himself to stand,

Integrity, friendship, and confidence,

(Cements of greatness) being vapoured hence,

And narrow man being filled with little shares,

Court, city, church, are all shops of small-wares,

All having blown to sparks their noble fire,

And drawn their sound gold‑ingot into wire,

All trying by a love of littleness

To make abridgements, and to draw to less

Even that nothing, which at first we were;

Since in these times, your greatness doth appear,

And that we learn by it, that man to get

Towards him, that’s infinite, must first be great;

Since in an age so ill, as none is fit

So much as to accuse, much less mend it,

(For who can judge, or witness of those times

Where all alike are guilty of the crimes?)

Where he that would be good, is thought by all

A monster, or at best fantastical:

Since now you durst be good, and that I do

Discern, by daring to contemplate you,

That there may be degrees of fair, great, good,

Though your light, largeness, virtue understood:

If in this sacrifice of mine, be shown

Any small spark of these, call it your own.

And if things like these, have been said by me

Of others; call not that idolatry.

For had God made man first, and man had seen

The third day’s fruits, and flowers, and various green,

He might have said the best that he could say

Of those fair creatures, which were made that day:

And when next day, he had admired the birth

Of sun, moon, stars, fairer than late‑praised earth,

He might have said the best that he could say,

And not be chid for praising yesterday:

So though some things are not together true

As, that another is worthiest, and, that you:

Yet, to say so, doth not condemn a man,

If when he spoke them, they were both true then.

How fair a proof of this, in our soul grows!

We first have souls of growth, and sense, and those,

When our last soul, our soul immortal came,

Were swallowed into it, and have no name.

Nor doth he injure those souls, which doth cast

The power and praise of both them, on the last;

No more do I wrong any; I adore

The same things now, which I adored before,

The subject changed, and measure; the same thing

In a low constable, and in the King

I reverence; his power to work on me:

So did I humbly reverence each degree

Of fair, great, good, but more, now I am come

From having found their walks, to find their home.

And as I owe my first souls thanks, that they

For my last soul did fit and mould my clay,

So am I debtor unto them, whose worth,

Enabled me to profit, and take forth

This new great lesson, thus to study you;

Which none, not reading others, first, could do.

Nor lack I light to read this book, though I

In a dark cave, yea in a grave do lie;

For as your fellow angels, so you do

Illustrate them who come to study you.

The first whom we in histories do find

To have professed all arts, was one born blind:

He lacked those eyes beasts have as well as we,

Not those, by which angels are seen and see;

So, though I am born without those eyes to live,

Which fortune, who hath none herself, doth give,

Which are, fit means to see bright courts and you,

Yet may I see you thus, as now I do;

I shall by that, all goodness have discerned,

 

Summary

Opening Praise and Setting the Tone (Lines 1–8)

The poet begins by expressing that seeing the Countess of Salisbury is like witnessing what Heaven is capable of creating on earth. He contrasts her fresh, vibrant beauty with the fading light of the sun, which has lost its original power and now merely decorates artificial things like wigs or poetic clichés.

 

Moral and Cultural Decay in the World (Lines 9–20)

Donne laments the current state of the world, describing it as dried up and decayed. Virtue and values like integrity, friendship, and confidence have diminished. He sees society—whether court, city, or church—as fragmented and focused on petty things. The world has moved from noble substance to superficial decoration.

 

Her Greatness as a Remedy (Lines 21–26)

In such a morally low era, the Countess’s greatness stands out. Her presence teaches that to reach toward divine perfection, one must start with greatness. She serves as a living example of moral and spiritual elevation.

 

Bravery and Moral Stand (Lines 27–34)

Donne recognizes the difficulty of being good in a corrupt age where even calling out wrongdoing is rare. To be good in such times is seen as odd or foolish. Yet the Countess dares to be good, and in doing so, gives the poet courage to contemplate and admire her.

 

Not Idolatry, But Continuity of Praise (Lines 35–46)

The poet anticipates a possible objection: that he has praised others similarly before. He defends himself, saying admiration of different people at different times is not idolatry. Just as God created various good things on successive days of Creation, each worthy of praise in its own moment, so too can he sincerely praise both past and present subjects.

 

Higher Worth of the Countess (Lines 47–56)

Although others may have been called great or fair in the past, the Countess now embodies those qualities in a higher, fuller degree. He compares this growth to the soul’s development—from basic levels of awareness to the immortal soul—suggesting she is the culmination of all he has previously admired.

 

From Parts to Wholeness (Lines 57–64)

Earlier praises were of isolated virtues. The Countess, however, is like the complete form that contains all those virtues together. What was previously seen only in fragments is now unified in her.

 

Depth of Devotion and Learning (Lines 65–76)

He thanks those he praised before, as they prepared him to recognize and appreciate the Countess. Without those earlier experiences, he wouldn’t be capable of understanding her greatness now.

 

Distance Doesn’t Hinder Admiration (Lines 77–80)

Even if Donne is physically distant, in a “cave” or “grave” (perhaps figuratively meaning obscurity or illness), he can still see and appreciate her virtue and beauty.

 

Final Thought: Enlightenment Through Her (Lines 81–84)

Just as angels illuminate others, the Countess enlightens those who observe and contemplate her. Her virtue and nobility are so powerful that they bring clarity even to those who might otherwise remain in darkness.

 

Line-by-line Paraphrase

Lines 1–2

Fair, great, and good, since seeing you, we see

What heaven can do, and what any earth can be:

→ You are beautiful, noble, and virtuous. Seeing you shows us what Heaven is capable of creating and what the Earth can ideally produce.

 

Lines 3–4

Since now your beauty shines, now when the sun

Grown stale, is to so low a value run,

→ Your beauty shines at a time when even the sun has lost its freshness and is no longer valued highly.

 

Lines 5–6

That his dishevelled beams and scattered fires

Serve but for ladies’ periwigs and tires

→ The sun’s scattered light is so weak that it merely serves to highlight artificial beauty like women’s wigs and hairstyles.

 

Lines 7–8

In lovers’ sonnets: you come to repair

God’s book of creatures, teaching what is fair;

→ Poets use the fading light in love poems, but you arrive to restore the natural order, showing what true beauty is.

 

Lines 9–10

Since now, when all is withered, shrunk, and dried,

All virtue ebbed out to a dead low tide,

→ At a time when everything has decayed and withered, and virtue has diminished to almost nothing...

 

Lines 11–12

All the world’s frame being crumbled into sand,

Where every man thinks by himself to stand,

→ The structure of the world has fallen apart, and now every person lives selfishly and independently.

 

Lines 13–14

Integrity, friendship, and confidence,

(Cements of greatness) being vapoured hence,

→ Honesty, friendship, and trust (which hold greatness together) have disappeared like vapor.

 

Lines 15–16

And narrow man being filled with little shares,

Court, city, church, are all shops of small-wares,

→ Selfish humans are only concerned with small gains. The court, city, and church all focus on petty matters.

 

Lines 17–18

All having blown to sparks their noble fire,

And drawn their sound gold-ingot into wire,

→ What was once noble has been reduced to faint sparks, and strong values have been stretched thin like gold wire.

 

Lines 19–20

All trying by a love of littleness

To make abridgements, and to draw to less

→ People, loving small things, are trying to reduce everything, even life’s meaning and purpose.

 

Lines 21–22

Even that nothing, which at first we were;

Since in these times, your greatness doth appear,

→ They’re reducing humanity, which already came from nothing. In contrast, your greatness shines in such degraded times.

 

Lines 23–24

And that we learn by it, that man to get

Towards him, that’s infinite, must first be great;

→ You teach us that to reach God (who is infinite), a person must first become great themselves.

 

Lines 25–26

Since in an age so ill, as none is fit

So much as to accuse, much less mend it,

→ This age is so corrupt that no one is even worthy to accuse others, let alone improve the times.

 

Lines 27–28

(For who can judge, or witness of those times

Where all alike are guilty of the crimes?)

→ Who can serve as a fair judge in times where everyone is equally guilty?

 

Lines 29–30

Where he that would be good, is thought by all

A monster, or at best fantastical:

→ Anyone who tries to be good is seen as strange or unrealistic by others.

 

Lines 31–32

Since now you durst be good, and that I do

Discern, by daring to contemplate you,

→ In such times, you’ve had the courage to be good, and I recognize this as I boldly reflect on your character.

 

Lines 33–34

That there may be degrees of fair, great, good,

Though your light, largeness, virtue understood:

→ I realize that beauty, greatness, and goodness come in degrees, though in you they appear in full form.

 

Lines 35–36

If in this sacrifice of mine, be shown

Any small spark of these, call it your own.

→ If my poem shows even a small trace of beauty or greatness, it belongs to you as its inspiration.

 

Lines 37–38

And if things like these, have been said by me

Of others; call not that idolatry.

→ And if I’ve praised others similarly in the past, don’t accuse me of idol worship.

 

Lines 39–40

For had God made man first, and man had seen

The third day’s fruits, and flowers, and various green,

→ If God had created man before the plants on the third day, and man had seen them...

 

Lines 41–42

He might have said the best that he could say

Of those fair creatures, which were made that day:

→ He would have praised them in the best way he could.

 

Lines 43–44

And when next day, he had admired the birth

Of sun, moon, stars, fairer than late‑praised earth,

→ And then upon seeing the sun, moon, and stars the next day, even more beautiful than plants...

 

Lines 45–46

He might have said the best that he could say,

And not be chid for praising yesterday:

→ He could rightly praise them too, without being scolded for having praised something else earlier.

 

Analysis in Detail

1. Occasion and Purpose

This poem is a verse letter written by John Donne to the Countess of Salisbury, expressing deep admiration for her beauty, virtue, and moral greatness. Composed in 1614, it serves not only as a personal tribute but also as a philosophical meditation on virtue, society, and divine order. It is both flattering and reflective, situating the Countess as a beacon of hope in a morally decaying world.

 

2. Themes

a. Moral Decay of the Age

Donne paints a bleak picture of his contemporary world. He sees society—courts, churches, and cities—as corrupted and fragmented, filled with vanity, pettiness, and selfishness. Virtues like honesty, friendship, and confidence are gone, and even greatness has been reduced to triviality. In such a time, being genuinely good is seen as strange or fantastical.

 

b. Virtue and Greatness

In contrast to this decay, the Countess shines as a rare embodiment of true virtue and greatness. Donne places her above the shallow values of his age and uses her example to restore faith in human potential and divine order. He argues that only those who strive to be great and good can approach God.

 

c. Beauty and Creation

Donne compares her beauty to the original act of divine creation. Her presence redefines what beauty truly is, challenging false or artificial standards found in fashion, poetry, or worldly appearances. She becomes a model of natural, heavenly beauty.

 

d. Continuity of Praise

Donne addresses the question of whether praising someone new negates his previous praises of others. He answers this with a theological and logical argument: just as each day of Creation brought new wonders worthy of admiration, so too can each new person be genuinely praiseworthy without invalidating past admiration.

 

3. Structure and Progression

The poem follows a logical and rhetorical structure:

Opening praise: The Countess’s beauty and virtue are introduced.

Social criticism: The fallen state of the world is detailed.

Contrast: Her moral excellence stands in contrast to this decay.

Philosophical defense: Donne defends the act of praising multiple people over time.

Elevation of the subject: He places her above all others he has known or praised before.

Personal reflection: He acknowledges his own limitations in status or physical presence but affirms his intellectual and spiritual ability to admire her.

Each part flows naturally from the last, creating a unified poetic argument.

 

4. Tone and Voice

The tone is a blend of reverence, admiration, melancholy, and philosophical seriousness. Donne’s admiration is profound and spiritual rather than romantic. His voice is that of a moralist-poet, urging his reader (and the world) to recognize true goodness in an age that has largely lost it.

There is also a personal and humble tone—Donne acknowledges that he is physically removed and perhaps socially inferior, but still capable of appreciating the Countess through intellect and soul.

 

5. Language and Style

a. Metaphysical Conceits

True to Donne’s style, the poem is rich in metaphysical conceits—unexpected and intellectual comparisons. For example:

The sun’s light is now weak and used for wigs and sonnets.

Human virtue has shrunk from a solid gold ingot to mere gold wire.

The soul progresses from lower forms to a final, higher immortal soul—used to justify deeper praise of the Countess.

b. Religious and Classical Allusions

Donne draws heavily on Christian imagery—Creation, the soul, sin, God—and classical philosophy, especially the Neoplatonic idea of ascending toward perfection by stages.

 

c. Symbolism

Light and Vision: Used to signify knowledge and virtue. The Countess is a source of inner illumination.

Decay and Shrinkage: Represent the moral and social deterioration of the time.

Growth and Wholeness: Her virtues unify what was once scattered or partial in others.

 

6. Argumentative Strategy

Donne doesn’t just flatter the Countess; he builds a logical argument around her virtues:

The world is corrupt.

She is good in spite of that.

True beauty and virtue deserve praise.

Admiring her does not negate past admiration.

She unites in herself all that was previously admired separately.

This structure is deeply rhetorical, resembling a sermon or philosophical essay in poetic form.

 

7. Personal and Public Appeal

Though directed at one person, the poem has universal implications. It appeals to the public conscience, offering a rare example of moral clarity in an age of compromise. The Countess becomes a symbol of ideal womanhood, not only for her own sake but as a lesson to all.

 

Conclusion

In "To the Countess of Salisbury", John Donne does more than compliment a noblewoman—he crafts a moral and spiritual portrait that stands against the backdrop of a decaying world. The poem’s structure, imagery, and rhetorical power make it both a personal tribute and a timeless meditation on virtue, beauty, and the possibility of goodness amid corruption.