4 Kinds of Meaning in "The Canonization"

A Richards-type analysis of the four kinds of meaning in Donne’s “The Canonization” highlights certain aspects of the poem that go unnoticed when considered in the whole.  The sense of the poem is fairly straightforward, in that it is a plea to an unnamed other for the ability to love.  Beyond this, the poem becomes increasingly nebulous in its characterization of the two lovers as existing by and for their very brand of love.  There is then a meta-poetic aspect that most completely characterizes the sense of the poem by literally pointing out the “canonization” of the speaker and his love.  Finally, it ends with an appeal to other lovers under similar circumstances to consider the speaker’s own lot throughout their trials.  The feeling of the poem is perhaps the most ambiguous of the four kinds of meaning.  When considering the subject matter and the impassioned language it seems to be an expression of unshakable love, despite an implicit disapproval from outside; however, the intense use of hyperbole, the intentional anonymity of the listener, and particularly the literal intent to canonize himself and his lover may suggest the speaker’s acknowledgment to the reader that this is no more than a work of art.  The tone of the poem appears less ambiguous, in its impassioned and overtly romantic imagery and language.  The hyperboles of the second stanza and the appeals in the final stanza suggest a perceived self-martyrdom.  It is read as a polemical cry against those that would restrict the liberty to love, and as such, the tone seems to quite clearly reflect the sense of the poem.  Finally, the intention of the poem seems to lie in Donne’s desire to relate this instance of passionate love in the face of adversity, while simultaneously, and perhaps more importantly, suggesting the ability of lyrical composition to eternalize.  This is furthered when considering the conventionality of the sense and tone, which leaves only the ambiguity of the feeling to reveal the less evident intent of the poem.