Line by Lines explanation of a Song by John Donne

Song

Line by Lines analysis of Song by John Donne

The poet is describing about some impossible things in life as it is impossible to catch a falling star and it is also impossible to produce a human child from the mandrake root (which is resembled like human body). Impossible to tell about where the past years have gone, or who split the Devil’s foot, who listened the songs of mermaids and impossible to find a man who does not feel envy. The purpose of describing all the impossible things is to tell us that as all these things are not possible, just like as it is not possible to find a faithful woman. Since there is no reason to make a man honest.

If you have given the ability to see the strange things, the things which are not visible, and you travel for ten thousands days and night till your hair turn to grey and on turn tell me about all the strange things happened to you and you would not be able to tell me that you have found a fair and true woman. 

If after travelling so much, you would find a woman, who you think is a fair and true, please let me know, I will pay a visit to her and this would me a sacred visit, a pilgrimage. The poet thinks that this journey would be all in vain, even if it is to the next door, because that woman might have been faithful when you met her, but she would not be faithful for long. By the time you would be sending her a letter, she would have become false to you.