Song: Go and catch a falling star BY  

JOHN DONNE

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.

About the Poet

He is considered the representative of the metaphysical poets.

He was an English scholar, poet, priest

John Donne is widely recognized as a metaphysical poet lived in the 16th century. It is important to understand
that he lived from 1572 to 1631, thus in different texts he is identified as both an Elizabethan and a Jacobean
era poet.

John Donne’s work is divided into two main categories; love poems and divine poems. In love poems, Donne
talks about women and their nature but he does not glorify their beauty.

Important works
His poetical works are noted for their metaphorical and sensual style and include sonnets, love poems,
religious poems, Latin translations, epigrams, elegies, songs, satires.
Divine Meditations or Divine Sonnets (1909-1910 )

The Speaker
The speaker is a young man who is not a romantic. Even while praising beauty, his attitude remains
unromantic.

Brief analysis
‘Song: Go and catch a falling star’ by John Donne tells of a speaker’s belief that there are no women in the
world who are to him both beautiful and faithful. 

In the first lines of this piece, the speaker begins by giving the reader a number of impossible tasks. These
include catching a “falling star” and teaching him how to “hear mermaids singing.” It is not until the second
stanza that one comes to realize that Donne is comparing these impossibilities to the locating of a beautiful and
faithful woman. He believes that one is just as likely to figure how why the devil’s foot is cleft as find a woman
who has both of these traits. 

The most obvious characteristics of the poem are its exaggerated misogyny, flippancy, chauvinism, sexism,
lightheartedness, cynicism, and comedy.

Seven impossible tasks

The first stanza lists seven impossible tasks (a little like the Labours of Hercules). The first five are jokes (a
mandrake is a plant with a forked root, said to look like a human being). The sixth speaks of envy, getting
nearer to the bone, and the seventh hits home: how is an honest person to get on in what is depicted as a very
corrupt society?
This corruption is most clearly seen in the stated impossibility of finding ‘a woman true, and faire'. The punch
lies in the ‘and'. Either on its own may not be impossible; both together are. Again, Donne jokes about an
impossible search: whatever else is found (if anything), it won't include an honest pretty woman. The opening
‘If' is stressed.

Stanza by Stanza analysis

Stanza One 
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.
The poet gives some examples of impossible tasks. First task is of catching a falling star. We all know that one
can pray when he sees a falling star but he cannot catch it; therefore, it is an impossible task.  Second task is of
getting a human-child from mandrake roots. “Mandrake” is a human lookalike tree; pharmaceuticals prepare
medicines from it. Donne gives its example and says that it is impossible to get a human child from this tree.
Third task is of finding the past years. No one knows from where the time comes and where does it go. Thus, it
is also an impossible task. The poet adds another task, which is of finding the name of a person who cleft
Devil’s feet. Mythically, someone cleaved the devil’s feet but no one knows who clove them; therefore, it is
another impossible task.
Fifth task is of listening music of mermaid. Again, Donne has created reference from myth. Mermaid is a
character of myth, that has body of woman, whereas tail of a fish instead of legs. The poet knows that it is a
mythical character, which does not exist; therefore, it is not possible to listen its music. The last task is
somewhat satirical. Human nature is unchangeable. Envy was there even in Satan as evident from “Paradise
Lost”. It is also there in humans. No one could remove envy from human nature. It is still part of human nature;
therefore, it is impossible to change it. Donne believes that all the above works are impossible; however, he
says that one may make these tasks possible but he cannot find a true and loyal woman. From these instances,
it is obvious that John Donne is master in creating far-fetched amazing examples.  

Stanza Two 

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.
 Donne maintains the flow of poem and illustrates another task though not impossible. The poet says that if a
person has superhuman qualities, he can see strange things; he can travel hundred miles to see nature; also
he can see the whole world until his hairs turns grey, even that person cannot find a faithful woman. From this
stanza, it seems that no one can convince Donne regarding female nature. He is against existence of loyalty in
beautiful women. He is right or wrong, it is another matter yet his presentation and comparison between
different things is praiseworthy. Donne is talking about two things: “true and faire”. He is talking about the
woman who is beautiful and loyal. One can find faithfulness in an ugly woman but not in beautiful woman.

Stanza Three 
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.
In last stanza of the poem, the poet seems convinced. He promises that if one were able to find a loyal and
beautiful woman, he would go on a pilgrimage. Perhaps, Donne wants to advise us that there is scarcity of
beautiful and faithful women in the world. Thus, if one finds it then it is necessary for him to worship her. He
himself says that he would worship that beautiful and loyal goddess, if found; however, he cannot forget that
women are unfaithful; therefore, he changes his mind; he says that he would “not goe” on pilgrimage even if it
is “at next doore” because it would be a waste of time. He then talks about possibility; a woman can sell his
loyalty; she would have become disloyal until the poet reaches her.

Type

It is different from typical Elizabethan lyrical poems. It is connected with women, but is not a poem on
womanly love or love for women. In fact, the song is distinctly different from Donne’s usual Love poetry.

Song: Go and catch a falling star’ by John Donne is a three-stanza poem that is separated into sets of nine lines.
The lines follow a consistent rhyme scheme, conforming to the pattern of ABABCCDDD. The lines also stick to a
syllable pattern that changes within the different sets of rhyme. For example, the first four lines are the same,
with seven syllables. The next two contain eight, then there are two two syllable lines. Finally the stanza ends
with a seven syllable line. This is a very unusual pattern that works best if read aloud. The fact that Donne titled
this piece ‘Song…’  makes it clear that it was meant to be read, or sung. 

Theme

The Inconstancy of Women

The speaker's dominant assertion in this poem is that it is impossible to find a woman who is both "true" and
"fair." This seems to imply that men are forced to make a choice: They can either choose a beautiful woman or
a faithful woman—but they can never have both. In fact, the speaker claims, a man could "Ride ten thousand
daies and nights" (or over twenty-seven years) and never lay eyes on a woman who possesses both of these
virtues. The speaker goes on to argue that if it were possible to find both fairness and faithfulness in one
woman, it could never last long. The compact lines of the final stanza deliver the punch of this statement as the
poem concludes

Reaching for the Impossible

Although the speaker's central message is that women are dependable only in their constant inability to remain
faithful, he does not suggest abandoning women altogether. In fact, it is important to remember that the
introductory stanza provides an entirely different tone, one of a mystical suspension of what is possible. After
all, the first line is an imperative, a call to "Goe, and catche a falling starre." This, of course, is a scientific
impossibility. Nonetheless, the reader is urged to find something beautiful, extraordinary, and luminous—and
to try to hang on to it. This can be symbolic of the women the speaker has lost faith in, but it could transfer to
other situations as well.

Poetic devices
metaphor: “Falling star” is a metaphor for Lucifer; the fallen angle, Lucifer who fell from the heaven to hell
because of betrayal to the god) Refers to the women who fell from virtue and fidelity.
 hyperbole or extreme exaggeration for effect.
Stanza 1, in particular, contains many visual images, such as those of “a falling starre,”
“a mandrake roote,” and the devil’s cleft foot.
This stanza also contains the auditory imagery of the “Mermaides singing.”
“Ride ten thousand days and nights, Till age  snow white hairs on thee”
Donne used these lines as an exaggeration to explain that it does not matter how long a man searches for an
honest woman because even if he looks for one for a thousand days and nights, he will never find one.

“Go and catch a falling star, Though she were true, when you met her, Yet she will be false”. Donne used these
lines to overstate that every woman, although innocent at one time, will become corrupted.

paradox : “Things invisible to see,” insisting that even if his addressee could see the invisible, finding a loyal
woman would still be impossible.

While hearing “mermaids singing” may not be a universal human desire, the next line’s desire to keep away
“envy’s stinging” (6) is one almost everyone has shared. These strange juxtapositions of fantastic desires and
real human longings are jarring, which leads into the desire to find out how to separate fantasy from reality,
that is, how to “advance an honest mind” (9). Yet, as part of the same list, is this goal just another
impossibility?

apostrophe: Starts the poem with a command preparing the reader to move and in the next moment he/she
understands that it is impossible to fulfil the commands given.

Allusion
In the first stanza, there are two allusions. (1)The first allusion is the mermaids. The mermaids mentioned in
the poem allude to the Odyssey. In the Odyssey, there were mermaids sitting near a dark cave, and their voices
were beautiful and alluring. When ships would sail by the cave, the sailors would hear their voices.

(2) The next allusion is the mandrake root. Although a mandrake root is a real plant, it is also often used in
myths that involve magic and wiccans. In the play Mandragola by Machiavelli, the mandrake root was used to
create a potion. This potion was used to trick and to take advantage of a person in bed.

The allusion to Satan connects the plant imagery with the next two lines: "Tell me where all past years are, / Or
who cleft the devil's foot."

Imagery:

a- Visual Imagery: ‘mandrake’s roote’, the Devil’s cleft foot, “a falling starre,”
b- Auditory Imagery: mermaid’s music, “Mermaides singing.”

Caesura (a pause which is a rhythmical pause in a poetic line or a sentence) gives a lyrical value and dramatic
nature to the poem.) “And find” // “what wind”

Caesurae: yet do not // I would not go (implies hesitation) yet she // will be (provides time for the reader to
think and enter the final argument)

 
 The extended conceit which is seemingly impossible generates the first half of the comparison: to depict the
impossibility to find a woman who is fair and honest. Here the poet gives seven challenges to an unknown
young man or the reader to fulfill: to catch a falling star, to get impregnated with a mandrake root, to find who
designed the foot of the devil, to teach the poet how to keep away from feelings like hatred and jealousy, to
teach the poet how to listen the luring siren’s singing and finally to find what natural condition makes people
honest. These challenges shift from personal needs to personal interests. (real to mythical) They are seemingly
absurd to be used to compare a woman. However, This is the salient feature of Metaphysical poetry – the use
of conceits, unusual comparisons. 

Metaphysical Poets

Metaphysical poets are identified as a group of 17 th century English poets whose work was characterized by the
inventive use of conceits and by a greater emphasis on the spoken rather than lyrical quality of their verse.
John Donne is widely recognized as a metaphysical poet lived in 16 th century and he is considered as the leading
figure of this poetic movement.

The Metaphysical convention was greatly influenced by the Renaissance Period (14-16 centuries) where
everything was questioned including the field of literature. Here the traditional courtly love style (which was a
prominent subject matter in Elizabethan poetry) was questioned.

Metaphysical features found in the poem

 Arguments and analysis

 Less emotional and more intellectual
 Use of conceits (unusual comparisons)
 Full of rich ideas (More matters, less words)
 Arises from moment of experience or situation (real)

Structure

 Title is the first line of the poem. (Usual characteristic of most Donne’s poem)
 9 lines consists of varied syllables (7x4, 8x2, 2x2, 7x1)
 3 stanzas (Rhyme ABABCCDDD)
 Lyrical, meant for singing.
 Dramatic monologue.
 Extended metaphysical conceits.
 Light and humorous tone. (cynical and satirical)
 Theme: Inconsistency of women/ infidelity of women, in spiritual view: about fallen humanity.
 Speaker: a man who disbelieve in faithful women suggesting male chauvinism.
Sound effects

Alliteration [the repetition of first letters]:

The repeated ‘b’ and 's’ sounds in ‘If thou be'st born to strange sights’.

Assonance [repetition of vowels]:
T he ‘a' sounds in ‘Go and catch a falling star’.

Sound and Sense

light and sometimes humorous tone
His tone here is playful, rather witty, although it may smack of some sarcasm.

Structure
The song has three nine-line stanzas, basically in trochaic tetrameters, but with the seventh and eighth lines
actually half-lines, with only one foot in each. As they rhyme together with the final line, the three rhymes
falling close together produce quite a light-hearted ending to each stanza.

Go and catch a falling star, a

    Get with child a mandrake root, b
Tell me where all past years are, a
    Or who cleft the devil's foot, b
Teach me to hear mermaids singing, c
Or to keep off envy's stinging, c
            And find d
            What wind d
Serves to advance an honest mind. d

If thou be'st born to strange sights, e

    Things invisible to see, f
Ride ten thousand days and nights, e
    Till age snow white hairs on thee, f
Thou, when thou return'st, wilt tell me, f
All strange wonders that befell thee, f
            And swear, g
            No where g
Lives a woman true, and fair. g

If thou find'st one, let me know, h

    Such a pilgrimage were sweet; i
Yet do not, I would not go, h
    Though at next door we might meet; i
Though she were true, when you met her, j
And last, till you write your letter, j
            Yet she f
            Will be f
False, ere I come, to two, or three. f
 1. What is the meaning of metaphysical poems?
Metaphysical intellectualism turns poetic impulsiveness into prosaic logicality by means of arguments
and analogies. The metaphysical style is more intellectual, less emotional.
2. To whom is this speaker talking?
3. In the second stanza, what does the speaker say his listener will discover about a woman both “true
and fair”?
4. In the last stanza, what does the speaker say he will not do? Why?
5. What hyperbole or exaggeration does the speaker use to make his point?
6. How would you describe the speaker’s tone? List at least three words that reveal his attitude. Do you
think he is being serious? 
7. What are the impossible things the speaker asks for in the first stanza? Number them in poem.
8. What is a hyperbole?
9. Find an example of a hyperbole in the poem. Underline.
10. How much time will pass between finding an ‘honest ‘women and discovering she’s false?
11. How does the speaker feel about women?
12. What is a paradox?
13. How can a “strange sight” be “invisible to see”?
14. What is the rhyme scheme of the poem?

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