Getting Donne with Richards

Reading Donne’s “The Canonization” using Richards’ four kinds of meaning illuminates the intention of the poem by way of the other three kinds of meaning.

The first stanza offers a list of ailments and the second offers images of death and misfortune. These images call up negative feelings of sadness and loss. At the same time each stanza ends with the word “love,” a concept that would have positive correlations in the minds of readers. By contrasting the two feelings, letting the speaker love seems like the more positive choice.

To canonize is defined in the OED as “To deify, apotheosize,” and “to sanction by the authority of the church.” Donne’s decision to use the term can be read as his attempt to imbue the poem with a religious tone that would appeal to his readers.
Within the question of why the speaker’s love must be canonized also lies the poet’s intention. If the speaker’s love needs to be sanctioned by the authority of the church, it likely was founded on impropriety or sin. A scandalous love affair would pale in comparison to illness or death. The conscious or unconscious aim was to point out the innocence of their forbidden love in the grand scheme of things.