Song
John Donne
Khris Knauer
Theme - No matter where one looks he or she will not find perfection
Go and catch a falling star,
Get with child a mandrake root,
Tell me where all past years are,
Or who cleft the Devil's foot;
Teach me to hear mermaids singing,
Or to keep off envy's stinging,
And find
What wind
Serves to advance an honest mind.
If thou be'st born to strange sights,
Things invisible to see,
Ride ten thousand days and nights
Till Age snow white hairs on thee;
Thou, when thou return'st, wilt tell me
All strange wonders that befell thee,
And swear
No where
Lives a woman true and fair.
If thou find'st one, let me know;
Such a pilgrimage were sweet.
Yet do not; I would not go,
Though at next door we might meet.
Though she were true when you met her,
And last till you write your letter,
Yet She
Will be
False, ere I come, to two or three.
Imagery
"Till age snow white hairs on thee" (13)
This line talks about searching for a perfect woman until your hair turns long and grey, obviously meaning that you can search forever.
"Teach me to hear mermaids singing" (5)
Donne uses this line to help show what a perfect voice is, which would be a mermaids.
"Go and catch a falling star" (1)
It is literally impossible to catch a falling star because they would burn up in the atmosphere and if any did hit the ground it would just be a huge rock. Therefore catching a falling star would be impossible, however it would be a trait of someone perfect
Rhyming
"Yet She / Will be / False ere i come, to two or three." (25-27)
Donne uses these lines and makes them rhyme to help prove the point that if someone has only told you the truth then they must have lied or been unfaithful to someone else in the process.
"Though she were true when you met her / And last till you write your letter" (23-24)
He also rhymes these lines together to help convey that sure when you first meet someone they will be honest and truthful with you, but it won't last long.
"And swear / Nowhere / Lives a woman true, and fair/" (16-18)
These lines mean that it is impossible to find someone who is perfect and will always stay loyal and honest with you.
Figurative Language
"Ride ten thousand days and nights" (12)
This is a hyperbole and it shows that no one is perfect because ten thousand days is over 25 years and no one can ride for that long
"Till age snow white hairs on thee" (13)
This is a hyperbole as well because the term snow white means a bright white hair. Most peoples hair turns a medium grey color when they get old. That coupled with the fact that age is a factor of perfection makes it impossible to be perfect.
"Go and catch a falling star" (1)
This is personification because a star can't actually fall. This also shows that it is impossible to be perfect because even the brightest stars can't reach perfection.