Lover's Infiniteness short Summary and Critical Analysis l Lover's Infiniteness Themes

"Lover's Infiniteness" was published in Songs and Sonnets in 1633 two years after John Donne's death. This collection of mostly love poems is based on draws that were secretly exchanged between friends and colleagues. During his lifetime, just a few poems were published.

Donne's reputation as an intelligent, inventive, at times dull, but the wonderful poet is secure. And he uses rhythms that are both nuanced and basic and interesting.

He is regarded as the best metaphysical poet, renowned for making the reader ponder; he teases, taunts, and is impressed by intellect, metaphor, and language.

In his love poems, however, Donne often splits opinions. Some think that his attempts to court the woman are overly selfish. Others think his intellectual approach attractive; his lady is entertaining and sensual. "Lover's Infiniteness" is a three-stage argument on perfect love. 

• Can a lover give it all? 
• Or must both couples join their hearts in order to create a whole? 
• Can a lover provide infiniteness?

This is rather repetitious cycle poetry, and I hope the speaker ends well in the last several lines.

The poem basically tackles the idea that, as humans, we may all have love, it may fully grow and spread to something that we can give to others entirely if the heart is unified. The poet skillfully and ingeniously uses the tiny word. It occurs 11 times in the poem and in the final line of each stanza takes on a different meaning. It is Donne's typical cleverness, repeating a sentence that enhances its importance as the reader finds it significant.

In a personal speech, Donne uses commercial language to make the speaker's case that he has the love that the woman can give. But there are worries and fears in the first two that he will never have all of her love, that he will never have all of her wife.

The opening line exposes the argument that the speaker never has all the affection of the lady since she may share part of it with others.

The second study builds on this notion that via other guys who have more to offer themselves than the speaker they may generate fresh love. Here there is a considerable conflict since the speaker says that he possesses her heart, which is her love's source.

The third stanza delays the speaker. He doesn't want all of her affection, since he can't have it anymore if he has everything. And there's increasing his affection. The paradox is that if you lose your heart (by giving it everything), your heart will twine so to speak, and become one, large enough for each other.

Youtube Lecture: Lovers Infiniteness by John Donne line by line Translation