1 00:00:13,520 --> 00:00:18,100 Okay, good morning everybody. I have to repeat this 2 00:00:18,100 --> 00:00:25,200 several times, huh? Are you excited like Eid 3 00:00:25,200 --> 00:00:26,720 holiday is imminent? 4 00:00:30,610 --> 00:00:36,690 Have you plans for the holiday? Because usually we 5 00:00:36,690 --> 00:00:41,800 do not plan. And because we do not plan, We feel 6 00:00:41,800 --> 00:00:46,380 very sorry because we have not used, made use of 7 00:00:46,380 --> 00:00:50,980 time. So I think I strongly recommend that you try 8 00:00:50,980 --> 00:00:55,480 to plan your time. It's a long vacation. I think, 9 00:00:55,560 --> 00:00:57,860 you know, you have, first of all, you have to 10 00:00:57,860 --> 00:01:02,020 enjoy yourself at Eid. Do not like busy yourself 11 00:01:02,700 --> 00:01:06,320 doing things, reading during the Eid because of 12 00:01:06,320 --> 00:01:09,560 the midterm exam, I strongly recommend that you 13 00:01:09,560 --> 00:01:13,340 enjoy yourself. However, like after Eid, you have 14 00:01:13,340 --> 00:01:21,460 to plan and to work very hard. Anyway, today we 15 00:01:21,460 --> 00:01:25,380 are going to see, it is an introductory lecture to 16 00:01:25,380 --> 00:01:28,460 metaphysical poetry because today we're not 17 00:01:28,460 --> 00:01:32,530 studying John Donne. So it's going to be a little 18 00:01:32,530 --> 00:01:36,490 bit historical background, social background, and 19 00:01:36,490 --> 00:01:40,610 perhaps general characteristics of the metaphysical 20 00:01:40,610 --> 00:01:47,630 poetry. But before we start this, as usual, I need 21 00:01:47,630 --> 00:01:51,610 a report. You read last time, I think. So we need, 22 00:01:52,010 --> 00:01:53,030 yes, the lady there. 23 00:02:01,650 --> 00:02:04,530 Okay, you just come here. Good morning everybody, 24 00:02:04,690 --> 00:02:10,930 how are you? Daily report, actually this week I 25 00:02:10,930 --> 00:02:13,270 suffered a lot and till this moment I feel 26 00:02:13,270 --> 00:02:15,610 confused and stressed because of my crowded 27 00:02:15,610 --> 00:02:18,810 schedule of the unfinished exams. So my 28 00:02:18,810 --> 00:02:21,170 psychological condition is too bad because of 29 00:02:21,170 --> 00:02:24,440 these exams and due crowded schedule of study 30 00:02:24,440 --> 00:02:28,000 works. Believe me or not, before two days I began 31 00:02:28,000 --> 00:02:30,040 to weep and my tears began to fall down 32 00:02:30,040 --> 00:02:34,380 continuously and I began to seem like a mad one, 33 00:02:34,720 --> 00:02:38,000 like a mad person because of these bad conditions. 34 00:02:38,280 --> 00:02:40,860 Coming back to the poetry class, actually although 35 00:02:40,860 --> 00:02:45,180 yesterday I was busy in studying because of the 36 00:02:45,180 --> 00:02:49,620 today's exam and I was pressured and confused. I 37 00:02:49,620 --> 00:02:53,640 felt all these issues, I left all these issues and 38 00:02:53,640 --> 00:02:56,100 decided to think about what is suitable for the 39 00:02:56,100 --> 00:02:59,060 report of the previous lecture. Consequently, I 40 00:02:59,060 --> 00:03:01,680 remembered the lecture with some happiness. As 41 00:03:01,680 --> 00:03:04,300 usual, it began by saying the daily report and 42 00:03:04,300 --> 00:03:07,100 after that, the teacher gave us an obvious 43 00:03:07,100 --> 00:03:12,300 explanation about the two poems of Shakespeare and 44 00:03:12,300 --> 00:03:15,880 he ordered us to compare between them after giving 45 00:03:15,880 --> 00:03:19,580 us the aesthetic elements in both poems. Okay, 46 00:03:19,660 --> 00:03:22,240 thank you very much. And it's good like you have 47 00:03:22,240 --> 00:03:25,700 the report as event out. I know like a lot of 48 00:03:25,700 --> 00:03:28,660 students are pressured because of the midterm 49 00:03:28,660 --> 00:03:35,520 exam, but you should know that midterm exams are 50 00:03:35,520 --> 00:03:39,120 given under the pressure of classes and lectures. 51 00:03:40,000 --> 00:03:44,570 So those who do not come to class Because of 52 00:03:44,570 --> 00:03:47,910 midterm, a midterm, for me, it's like, you know, 53 00:03:47,970 --> 00:03:50,250 cheating, you know, it's not like, honestly, 54 00:03:50,510 --> 00:03:54,790 because, you know, we know that we want to test 55 00:03:54,790 --> 00:03:57,950 you when you are having a lot of lectures, 56 00:03:58,170 --> 00:04:01,810 classes, how you function, you function well or 57 00:04:01,810 --> 00:04:06,090 you need time. Have, if you like are a good time 58 00:04:06,090 --> 00:04:08,570 manager, you don't have a problem. But if you are 59 00:04:08,570 --> 00:04:14,440 not, you'll be in trouble. Okay. I need another 60 00:04:14,440 --> 00:04:20,180 report, another creative report. Creative. Let's 61 00:04:20,180 --> 00:04:21,420 see. Okay. 62 00:04:32,220 --> 00:04:35,640 But people will envy you because you have read 63 00:04:35,640 --> 00:04:42,630 like several times. Okay, go ahead. Shakespeare's 64 00:04:42,630 --> 00:04:45,330 words, of which he's so proud, whistled through my 65 00:04:45,330 --> 00:04:48,050 head like rough wind so loud. He was right, 66 00:04:48,170 --> 00:04:50,970 though, five decades on, and his words still flow. 67 00:04:51,390 --> 00:04:54,430 Through paper and pen, the words remain so. And in 68 00:04:54,430 --> 00:04:57,430 poetry class, his immortality does show. And I, 69 00:04:57,530 --> 00:05:00,590 for one, I am one to know. Wow. Thank you very 70 00:05:00,590 --> 00:05:04,850 much. Clap for her. So this is like, yes, it's 71 00:05:04,850 --> 00:05:10,740 very creative. Good. I know a lot of you wrote 72 00:05:10,740 --> 00:05:15,460 even more creative reports, but if anybody is 73 00:05:15,460 --> 00:05:19,720 dying to read, I don't mind. If she feels she has 74 00:05:19,720 --> 00:05:23,860 a wonderful report, I don't mind. She can read. 75 00:05:25,940 --> 00:05:32,520 Okay, so, metaphysical poetry. What have you prepared 76 00:05:32,520 --> 00:05:35,400 for us? It's a good question. What have you 77 00:05:35,400 --> 00:05:38,380 prepared for us? Don't tell me fish and chips. 78 00:05:39,980 --> 00:05:44,020 This has nothing to do with metaphysical poetry. 79 00:05:45,080 --> 00:05:47,160 I'll be telling you the joke of fish and chips 80 00:05:47,160 --> 00:05:52,900 later. Okay, metaphysical poetry, I don't know. 81 00:05:54,560 --> 00:05:59,580 The term itself seems to be tough, metaphysical. 82 00:06:00,000 --> 00:06:04,240 What is physical to say metaphysical? Okay, the 83 00:06:04,240 --> 00:06:08,040 metaphysicals, you know, even like Amal say the 84 00:06:08,040 --> 00:06:11,020 metaphysicals, you know? She's complicating it 85 00:06:11,020 --> 00:06:14,680 more and more. Yes, what do you want to tell me? 86 00:06:14,940 --> 00:06:22,660 Like, speak. Metaphysical poets? Yes. I'm ready to 87 00:06:22,660 --> 00:06:23,420 listen. Yes, please. 88 00:06:28,010 --> 00:06:32,770 Things that are beyond nature. Yeah, so you are 89 00:06:32,770 --> 00:06:36,190 just like looking at metaphysical, something 90 00:06:36,190 --> 00:06:40,390 beyond the physical. Yes, they were concerned with 91 00:06:40,390 --> 00:06:45,330 highly philosophical issues. Man's relation with 92 00:06:45,330 --> 00:06:50,410 God, man's experience in life, man's, you know, 93 00:06:50,610 --> 00:06:57,670 like, relation with death, love, which is a 94 00:06:57,670 --> 00:07:01,630 general issue, love to God, love to human beings, 95 00:07:01,850 --> 00:07:03,470 yes. Yes. 96 00:07:07,830 --> 00:07:11,730 I want to say that there's, at the time, it wasn't 97 00:07:11,730 --> 00:07:14,250 really very spread and it wasn't very much read. 98 00:07:14,750 --> 00:07:17,930 And it later became very prominent and analyzed. 99 00:07:18,050 --> 00:07:20,270 But at the time, it was the time of religious, 100 00:07:20,610 --> 00:07:22,550 like there were a lot of religious beliefs and 101 00:07:22,550 --> 00:07:24,610 there were the Puritan. Yeah, thank you very much. 102 00:07:24,670 --> 00:07:29,170 Yes. Like the metaphysical poets were elitist. Yes. 103 00:07:29,590 --> 00:07:32,560 They were not writing for, you know, they were not 104 00:07:32,560 --> 00:07:35,060 like Shakespeare, Spencer, and others. They were 105 00:07:35,060 --> 00:07:39,680 not writing for the common people. They were 106 00:07:39,680 --> 00:07:43,620 elitist. They were highly educated. And, you know, 107 00:07:43,740 --> 00:07:47,320 they were a little bit chauvinistic because they 108 00:07:47,320 --> 00:07:51,560 wanted to show that they were, you know, very 109 00:07:51,560 --> 00:07:56,920 good. So their poetry was inaccessible for lay 110 00:07:56,920 --> 00:08:00,740 people, for ordinary people. Their poetry was very 111 00:08:00,740 --> 00:08:05,080 difficult. They used their wit, their mind, their 112 00:08:05,080 --> 00:08:10,900 intellect to write poetry. That's why they were 113 00:08:10,900 --> 00:08:17,640 not popular. And you know what? It is only just in 114 00:08:17,640 --> 00:08:21,440 20th century, like it was T.S. Eliot who brought 115 00:08:21,440 --> 00:08:28,920 them to surface. Samuel Johnson was the critic who 116 00:08:28,920 --> 00:08:32,100 was first called them the metaphysical poets. But you 117 00:08:32,100 --> 00:08:34,440 mentioned the religious because it's very 118 00:08:34,440 --> 00:08:38,380 important to talk about the religious background. 119 00:08:41,980 --> 00:08:51,550 In 1603, Elizabeth died, and James I, the first 120 00:08:51,550 --> 00:08:57,510 king from the Stuart family, because Elizabeth was 121 00:08:57,510 --> 00:09:01,270 Tudor. So we're talking about dynasty, it's a 122 00:09:01,270 --> 00:09:04,970 different dynasty. James Stuart I, who was of 123 00:09:04,970 --> 00:09:10,560 Scottish origin, If you remember, when Shakespeare 124 00:09:10,560 --> 00:09:13,560 wrote Macbeth, he was complimenting him, he was 125 00:09:13,560 --> 00:09:17,160 flattering him, like he was a descendant of, you 126 00:09:17,160 --> 00:09:19,700 know, the Scottish, of Banquo, if you remember. 127 00:09:20,640 --> 00:09:26,560 Like this, the King was religious, and he was 128 00:09:26,560 --> 00:09:32,440 accredited for translating the Bible, you know, 129 00:09:32,480 --> 00:09:36,160 the authorized version of the Bible. So during his 130 00:09:36,160 --> 00:09:41,220 time, the Bible was widely read because before, 131 00:09:41,400 --> 00:09:43,920 you know, he translated it, you know, from Latin 132 00:09:43,920 --> 00:09:48,660 into English, you know, a few people like the 133 00:09:48,660 --> 00:09:51,400 Bible was limited to a few people. But when it 134 00:09:51,400 --> 00:09:54,560 became translated in English, so a lot of people 135 00:09:54,560 --> 00:09:58,130 started reading the Bible. And when you see a lot 136 00:09:58,130 --> 00:10:02,750 of people start to read, it means they become very 137 00:10:02,750 --> 00:10:07,370 religious and the arguments, the controversy 138 00:10:07,370 --> 00:10:15,210 start. And this is what happened in that 139 00:10:15,210 --> 00:10:20,310 century. So the religious tension began to 140 00:10:20,310 --> 00:10:24,410 increase mainly between the Catholic and the 141 00:10:24,410 --> 00:10:31,970 Protestant. And even in, you know, 1605, there 142 00:10:31,970 --> 00:10:36,970 was, you know, the Catholic were trying to blow up 143 00:10:36,970 --> 00:10:41,790 the parliament and kill the king. You know, it was 144 00:10:41,790 --> 00:10:46,780 called the Gunpowder Plot. the gunpowder which was 145 00:10:46,780 --> 00:10:52,020 referred in Macbeth. But James was very tough with 146 00:10:52,020 --> 00:10:59,000 them and he put a lot of them in prison. The 147 00:10:59,000 --> 00:11:05,700 Catholic were not treated very well. They did not 148 00:11:05,700 --> 00:11:09,480 have their rights or they did not have their 149 00:11:09,480 --> 00:11:12,980 rights in employment. I mean, their social rights, 150 00:11:13,120 --> 00:11:15,060 they were denied their social rights because of 151 00:11:15,060 --> 00:11:19,560 their creed. This one thing. Another thing, on the 152 00:11:19,560 --> 00:11:22,140 other side, the Protestant themselves had some 153 00:11:22,140 --> 00:11:26,420 argument among themselves and the Protestant, some 154 00:11:26,420 --> 00:11:29,620 of them were very radical, very extremist called 155 00:11:29,620 --> 00:11:34,070 the Puritans. Those Puritans wanted the king to 156 00:11:34,070 --> 00:11:38,590 change more. They wanted to press him to change 157 00:11:38,590 --> 00:11:42,850 more, to clean the English church out of the 158 00:11:42,850 --> 00:11:46,090 Catholic, you know, churches. So they were 159 00:11:46,090 --> 00:11:49,090 pulling, you know, to the extreme. And the king 160 00:11:49,090 --> 00:11:53,170 wanted, like, to be in the middle. What happened, 161 00:11:53,290 --> 00:11:58,210 like, as a result, he, you know, kicked them out, 162 00:11:58,430 --> 00:12:02,610 like about 3,000 of them. They were deported to 163 00:12:02,610 --> 00:12:10,450 Holland, like it was in 1620, something like this, 164 00:12:11,210 --> 00:12:17,690 1618, 1819. They were, you know, deported to 165 00:12:17,690 --> 00:12:21,530 Holland. And, you know, after one year, they 166 00:12:21,530 --> 00:12:24,610 started their journey to America. And they settled 167 00:12:24,610 --> 00:12:28,250 in Massachusetts, mainly in Jamestown. And this is 168 00:12:28,250 --> 00:12:31,490 how, like, of course, America was explored before 169 00:12:31,490 --> 00:12:35,150 that. America after Marlowe and, you know, when 170 00:12:35,150 --> 00:12:37,010 Marlowe was writing "Come Love With Me", when 171 00:12:37,010 --> 00:12:38,790 Spencer was writing, America was already 172 00:12:38,790 --> 00:12:42,310 discovered. And, like, you know, the literature of 173 00:12:42,310 --> 00:12:45,730 that time was promoting people to go to America. 174 00:12:46,410 --> 00:12:50,710 So here we have the first, you know, American 175 00:12:50,710 --> 00:12:54,110 settlement or the first English settlement, which 176 00:12:54,110 --> 00:12:58,050 was started by the British themselves on the east 177 00:12:58,050 --> 00:13:02,030 coast, the northeast coast in Massachusetts, a 178 00:13:02,030 --> 00:13:07,210 settlement called Jamestown Settlement. So that 179 00:13:07,210 --> 00:13:11,760 was the atmosphere. This atmosphere continued, you 180 00:13:11,760 --> 00:13:14,500 know, to be complicated more and more until 181 00:13:14,500 --> 00:13:18,940 England became in 1942 in a state of civil war. 182 00:13:19,620 --> 00:13:22,980 There was a civil war. This continued, this civil 183 00:13:22,980 --> 00:13:30,060 war continued until 19, sorry, 1651. What 184 00:13:30,060 --> 00:13:36,390 happened, you know, because in, I think, in 1635, 185 00:13:36,690 --> 00:13:42,690 King James died, and Charles I, his son, took 186 00:13:42,690 --> 00:13:50,050 over. He was a weak king. And during his time, the 187 00:13:50,050 --> 00:13:54,910 Civil War broke out. This is a bit history. It 188 00:13:54,910 --> 00:13:58,530 helps us in having a good background to study the 189 00:13:58,530 --> 00:14:03,830 metaphysical poetry. You know, there was a civil 190 00:14:03,830 --> 00:14:07,590 war. Of course, the civil war was very bitter. A 191 00:14:07,590 --> 00:14:09, 223 00:16:42,860 --> 00:16:45,540 They were dismissed. They didn't appreciate poetry. 224 00:16:45,760 --> 00:16:48,580 They didn't appreciate imagination. They didn't 225 00:16:48,580 --> 00:16:53,820 appreciate this. So poetry had to meet certain 226 00:16:53,820 --> 00:16:57,070 rules and regulations. It was not like 227 00:16:57,070 --> 00:17:01,290 Shakespeare, festive, lyrical. So poetry was 228 00:17:01,290 --> 00:17:07,130 didactic. Poetry was satirical. And those, the 229 00:17:07,130 --> 00:17:10,950 famous poets of, you know, that time, I mean, 230 00:17:12,960 --> 00:17:17,020 like Alexander Pope and John Dryden. They are 231 00:17:17,020 --> 00:17:18,900 missing in our course, you know, we're not 232 00:17:18,900 --> 00:17:22,600 teaching them, but we'll start from the pre 233 00:17:22,600 --> 00:17:26,820 -romantic, from William Blake and the Romantics. 234 00:17:27,680 --> 00:17:31,840 So this is a bit of history about the 17th 235 00:17:31,840 --> 00:17:35,020 century. Thank you for introducing this. So you 236 00:17:35,020 --> 00:17:38,560 could say it was an age of uncertainty. But we 237 00:17:38,560 --> 00:17:43,340 should know also, in spite of this, England was 238 00:17:43,340 --> 00:17:49,830 progressing in the field of research in the field 239 00:17:49,830 --> 00:17:54,750 of academia, I mean, you know, scientific. It was 240 00:17:54,750 --> 00:17:58,430 progressing, you know, in chemistry, in, you know, 241 00:17:58,470 --> 00:18:00,470 physics, in, you know, there were many 242 00:18:00,470 --> 00:18:03,850 explorations. New continents were explored. So it 243 00:18:03,850 --> 00:18:07,230 was the age of exploration. It was the age of 244 00:18:07,230 --> 00:18:11,110 expansion. And it was the age of scientific 245 00:18:11,110 --> 00:18:16,970 progress. So it... Everything was changing. So new 246 00:18:16,970 --> 00:18:20,450 theories, even new theories about the Earth, about 247 00:18:20,450 --> 00:18:24,350 our reality changed. So those poets, I mean, the 248 00:18:24,350 --> 00:18:28,390 mythical poets were writing in an age which was 249 00:18:28,390 --> 00:18:32,010 characterized by a great deal of uncertainty. So 250 00:18:32,010 --> 00:18:35,630 all theories about the world being, you know, 251 00:18:36,050 --> 00:18:40,690 like, flat have changed now. And everything, man's 252 00:18:40,690 --> 00:18:44,610 relation with God, like, has been reconsidered. 253 00:18:46,840 --> 00:18:50,180 So this is a bit of history. Let me listen to you. 254 00:18:50,300 --> 00:18:52,320 If you like, speak, tell me, I explain. You know, 255 00:18:52,380 --> 00:18:55,180 this is me, you know? So, what have you prepared 256 00:18:55,180 --> 00:18:57,360 for us? Yes? 257 00:19:00,500 --> 00:19:05,840 Yes, so you are referring to the metaphysical 258 00:19:05,840 --> 00:19:11,160 poets, yes? Now, we're dealing with a generation. 259 00:19:11,640 --> 00:19:15,790 Now, in fact, The 17th century was not the century 260 00:19:15,790 --> 00:19:21,750 of the metaphysical poets. We have three groups of 261 00:19:21,750 --> 00:19:28,300 poets. We have the metaphysical poets. We have the 262 00:19:28,300 --> 00:19:32,760 Cavalier poets, the Cavalier, and we have the 263 00:19:32,760 --> 00:19:35,960 followers of Ben Jonson. So we have the medical 264 00:19:35,960 --> 00:19:40,160 who were writing in the fashion of John Donne. We 265 00:19:40,160 --> 00:19:45,400 have the Cavalier who were writing in the fashion 266 00:19:45,400 --> 00:19:48,420 of George Herbert. And we have the traditional ones 267 00:19:48,420 --> 00:19:53,390 who were writing in the fashion of Ben Jonson. The 268 00:19:53,390 --> 00:19:56,730 most obtruse and difficult were the metaphysical 269 00:19:56,730 --> 00:20:01,230 poets. The Cavalier poets were a little bit 270 00:20:01,230 --> 00:20:07,630 hedonistic. They were bohemian. Their life was not 271 00:20:07,630 --> 00:20:10,150 a life of austerity. They wanted to enjoy their 272 00:20:10,150 --> 00:20:13,210 life. They wanted to enjoy their life before they 273 00:20:13,210 --> 00:20:18,690 die. Philosophy of life depended on enjoying your 274 00:20:18,690 --> 00:20:21,910 life before you die, and that was called the theme 275 00:20:21,910 --> 00:20:24,650 of Carpe Diem. These terms, I'm going to write 276 00:20:24,650 --> 00:20:29,470 them for you later. But just I'm introducing them. 277 00:20:31,510 --> 00:20:34,870 Now, the metaphysical poets were poets who wrote 278 00:20:34,870 --> 00:20:38,990 in a different style. Yes, they were difficult 279 00:20:38,990 --> 00:20:42,410 because of their argument. What's wrong with their 280 00:20:42,410 --> 00:20:42,790 argument? 281 00:20:49,030 --> 00:20:54,670 Yes, so like, you know, they were argumentative. I 282 00:20:54,670 --> 00:20:57,710 mean, they introduced an argument, a thesis, and 283 00:20:57,710 --> 00:21:01,740 they continued you know, elaborating it, arguing, 284 00:21:01,960 --> 00:21:07,140 until they convince us about their point of view. 285 00:21:07,440 --> 00:21:09,920 So they were arguing. They were introducing 286 00:21:09,920 --> 00:21:13,220 arguing, and usually when they introduce the 287 00:21:13,220 --> 00:21:20,760 argument, you know, it was very abrupt. So, for 288 00:21:20,760 --> 00:21:24,160 example, John Donne, when John Donne started his 289 00:21:24,160 --> 00:21:28,850 poetry, he started like, you know, in a very 290 00:21:28,850 --> 00:21:32,590 abrupt, like, "Go and catch," you know, the falling 291 00:21:32,590 --> 00:21:37,350 star or, like, the sun rising. The opening of the 292 00:21:37,350 --> 00:21:41,490 sun rising is very, you know, abrupt. The opening 293 00:21:41,490 --> 00:21:45,110 of "A Valediction Forbidding Mourning" is very abrupt. Abrupt 294 00:21:45,110 --> 00:21:49,470 like sudden, you know. Yes. Isn't John Donne a 295 00:21:49,470 --> 00:21:53,850 romantic poet? No, John Donne was a metaphysical 296 00:21:53,850 --> 00:21:54,910 poet. He was 297 00:21:57,990 --> 00:22:02,970 No, no, no, no. No, we don't like, he was, no, 298 00:22:03,190 --> 00:22:08,610 huh? No, no romanticism. You know, the issue of 299 00:22:08,610 --> 00:22:10,550 romanticism is a little bit different, you know? 300 00:22:10,890 --> 00:22:13,550 Once we approach romanticism, we want to talk 301 00:22:13,550 --> 00:22:21,870 about it in a different way. Good. Yes, their 302 00:22:21,870 --> 00:22:24,230 poetry was difficult. Their poetry was 303 00:22:24,230 --> 00:22:29,750 characterized by you know, by imagery which was 304 00:22:29,750 --> 00:22:34,810 drawn from Not the roses, not the summer, but it 305 00:22:34,810 --> 00:22:39,810 was drawn from chemistry, from, you know, from 306 00:22:39,810 --> 00:22:44,410 physics, from astronomy, astrology. So yes, they 307 00:22:44,410 --> 00:22:47,310 were referring, the images were drawn from the 308 00:22:47,310 --> 00:22:50,350 emergent field of knowledge during that time. 309 00:22:53,690 --> 00:22:56,550 Yes, okay, we'll talk about the conceit, the 310 00:22:56,550 --> 00:23:02,940 paradoxes, you know, in a moment. Yes. Okay, let's 311 00:23:02,940 --> 00:23:05,740 see. Now, I don't want to keep asking you. Let's 312 00:23:05,740 --> 00:23:09,300 see here, what do we have? As you say, in 313 00:23:09,300 --> 00:23:13,120 metaphysical poetry, Amal started by just 314 00:23:13,120 --> 00:23:17,960 arranging this. As you see here, we have strange 315 00:23:17,960 --> 00:23:22,300 heterogeneous ideas. like ideas which are 316 00:23:22,300 --> 00:23:25,380 heterogeneous, not homogeneous. And she's 317 00:23:25,380 --> 00:23:32,120 referring to man's relationship with God. So John 318 00:23:32,120 --> 00:23:35,480 Donne was talking to God as if he was talking to a 319 00:23:35,480 --> 00:23:35,840 person. 320 00:23:38,600 --> 00:23:42,700 Surprising and unexpected beginning, like, "Butter 321 00:23:42,700 --> 00:23:46,360 My Heart," "Three-Person God." A man is starting by 322 00:23:46,360 --> 00:23:48,580 asking God to butter his heart. 323 00:23:51,920 --> 00:23:55,760 Okay? You know, riddles, like their poetry is like 324 00:23:55,760 --> 00:23:58,180 riddles because, you know, you have something 325 00:23:58,180 --> 00:24:01,960 like, "We are two but we are one." You know, it's 326 00:24:01,960 --> 00:24:05,140 like a riddle. How come you are, you know, they 327 00:24:05,140 --> 00:24:09,220 invite you to think how, you know, and in Andrew 328 00:24:09,220 --> 00:24:12,360 Marvell, look, Andrew Marvell, he says at the end 329 00:24:12,360 --> 00:24:16,080 of his "To His Coy Mistress," "His Coy Mistress," though we 330 00:24:16,080 --> 00:24:20,380 cannot make ours, we cannot stop our son, but we 331 00:24:20,380 --> 00:24:26,800 can make it run. How can you, you know, you can't 332 00:24:26,800 --> 00:24:30,770 stop The sun, but you can make it run. How? Can 333 00:24:30,770 --> 00:24:34,250 you tell me? Yeah, it's very strange, isn't it? 334 00:24:34,370 --> 00:24:37,110 It's like a riddle. You know, it's like a riddle. 335 00:24:37,290 --> 00:24:40,270 How can't you make the sun? And this is like the, 336 00:24:40,770 --> 00:24:44,170 this is a paradox, of course. Yeah, it is very 337 00:24:44,170 --> 00:24:47,610 perplexing. I don't know. Of course, this is the 338 00:24:47,610 --> 00:24:51,110 paradox is easy. But when it comes to the conceit, 339 00:24:51,230 --> 00:24:55,850 it is more obtruse. It's more complicated. And in 340 00:24:55,850 --> 00:25:01,090 a moment, I'll be talking about the conceit. So 341 00:25:01,090 --> 00:25:06,970 how come you cannot stop your son, but you can 342 00:25:06,970 --> 00:25:11,090 make it run? I'm telling you because, in fact, to 343 00:25:11,090 --> 00:25:16,110 "His Coy Mistress," which is very vulgar and you're 344 00:25:16,110 --> 00:25:20,170 not going to study it, At the end, he was like 345 00:25:20,170 --> 00:25:23,510 inviting, you know, or he wanted to enjoy his 346 00:25:23,510 --> 00:25:26,930 life. So he was trying to persuade, you know, a 347 00:25:26,930 --> 00:25:30,870 lady to enjoy his life. But she was, you know, 348 00:25:30,950 --> 00:25:34,450 adamant. So in the poem, he said, "We cannot," yes, 349 00:25:34,530 --> 00:25:37,590 "we cannot stop." We don't have control over our 350 00:25:37,590 --> 00:25:41,070 life. We cannot stop, you know, the sun, the time 351 00:25:41,070 --> 00:25:43,740 itself. Because we cannot stop. We have no 352 00:25:43,740 --> 00:25:46,560 control, but we can make it run. By enjoying 353 00:25:46,560 --> 00:25:49,780 ourselves, we can make it run. See what I mean? So 354 00:25:49,780 --> 00:25:53,280 this is the paradox. Okay? We, by enjoying 355 00:25:53,280 --> 00:25:58,810 ourselves, we can make our son run. I don't know, 356 00:25:59,010 --> 00:26:03,770 all these are epithets which apply for, yes, 357 00:26:04,030 --> 00:26:07,930 surprise, strange ideas, surprising or unexpected, 358 00:26:08,670 --> 00:26:12,470 you know, unexpected beginning, 359 00:26:13,230 --> 00:26:16,390 you know, of the poems. 360 00:26:19,280 --> 00:26:24,300 Poetry and verses, they don't have this smooth 361 00:26:24,300 --> 00:26:29,920 lyrical tone. Their poetry is harsh, you know? It 362 00:26:29,920 --> 00:26:33,880 is harsh. It is very noisy, like what we are going 363 00:26:33,880 --> 00:26:38,200 to see in "Butter My Heart." "Blow, burn, boo, boo," 364 00:26:38,280 --> 00:26:42,320 you know? It's like very noisy poetry, you know? 365 00:26:44,590 --> 00:26:47,890 They are exaggerating, they are revolutionary, far 366 00:26:47,890 --> 00:26:52,370 -fetched, it's the conceit itself. What is the 367 00:26:52,370 --> 00:26:56,030 conceit? The conceit is what? 368 00:26:58,950 --> 00:27:02,410 What is a conceit? Do you have an example of a 369 00:27:02,410 --> 00:27:02,770 conceit? 370 00:27:06,230 --> 00:27:08,850 "The Flea," okay. I don't want to like to talk about 371 00:27:08,850 --> 00:27:11,830 the flea, but I want like to give you an example 372 00:27:11,830 --> 00:27:17,930 of a conceit. A conceit is what? It is an analogy, 373 00:27:19,050 --> 00:27:23,670 you know, analogy. It is a strange analogy or a 374 00:27:23,670 --> 00:27:28,570 strange simile or a metaphor in which the 375 00:27:28,570 --> 00:27:34,470 relationship between the vehicle and the tenor is 376 00:27:34,470 --> 00:27:39,090 very remote, is unexpected. You see what I mean? 377 00:27:39,710 --> 00:27:44,250 So, John Donne, in one of his poems called, 378 00:27:44,350 --> 00:27:49,710 "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning," he compared 379 00:27:49,710 --> 00:27:54,530 himself and his wife to the two legs of a compass. 380 00:27:56,270 --> 00:27:59,790 And he said, like, you know what is a compass? The 381 00:27:59,790 --> 00:28:03,370 two legs of a compass, like here, it's like this. 382 00:28:07,090 --> 00:28:12,010 This is a compass, the two legs of a compass. And 383 00:28:12,010 --> 00:28:16,230 he said, like, "If they are two, they are, they be 384 00:28:16,230 --> 00:28:18,930 two. If they be two, they are two." Like twin 385 00:28:18,930 --> 00:28:23,810 compasses are two. They are the fixed soul and the 386 00:28:23,810 --> 00:28:27,490 fixed thought, you know, makes no show to move, 387 00:28:27,810 --> 00:28:31,380 but does the other do. You see what I mean? Like 388 00:28:31,380 --> 00:28:34,680 whatever he wants to say, like you and I are like 389 00:28:34,680 --> 00:28:37,280 the two legs of a compass. This is very 390 00:28:37,280 --> 00:28:41,140 surprising. I think, you know, the surprising 391 00:28:41,140 --> 00:28:44,080 thing, you know, if you want to understand the 392 00:28:44,080 --> 00:28:47,920 poetry of John Donne, you have to have a 393 00:28:47,920 --> 00:28:51,760 calculator. You have to measure. Yes. That's why, 394 00:28:51,960 --> 00:28:57,300 you know, John Dryden, a 17th and 18th century 395 00:28:57,300 --> 00:29:01,480 poet, said that John Donne should have been 396 00:29:01,480 --> 00:29:05,670 hanged. Why? Because he kept perplexing the mind 397 00:29:05,670 --> 00:29:10,090 of the fair sex, I mean the ladies, by his witty 398 00:29:10,090 --> 00:29:14,690 and strange philosophical, you know, speculations 399 00:29:14,690 --> 00:29:20,830 and by his conceits, you know? Now, let me, like, 400 00:29:21,670 --> 00:29:25,950 in the poem, John Donne was elaborating, was 401 00:29:25,950 --> 00:29:30,430 explaining. And, you know, to explain in the 402 00:29:30,430 --> 00:29:32,450 metaphysical poetry when they wanted, because 403 00:29:32,450 --> 00:29:35,390 sometimes you want to convince the people about 404 00:29:35,390 --> 00:29:38,330 the appropriateness of this image, about the 405 00:29:38,330 --> 00:29:41,370 aptness of this image, so you have to keep 406 00:29:41,370 --> 00:29:45,550 persuading them. How, you know? How come, like, 407 00:29:45,870 --> 00:29:48,850 this? You know, once I told my wife, you know, 408 00:29:48,850 --> 00:29:51,390 "This is personal, you are like the wall." She was 409 00:29:51,390 --> 00:29:55,990 upset with me. You know? "You are like this wall." 410 00:29:56,770 --> 00:2 445 00:32:50,280 --> 00:32:55,120 them metaphysical poetry. And, in fact, it was, 446 00:32:56,180 --> 00:33:00,020 you know, he named them not out of veneration or 447 00:33:00,020 --> 00:33:04,940 respect, but out of disrespect. You know? You know, 448 00:33:04,980 --> 00:33:08,300 sometimes when we don't respect people, we say... 449 00:33:08,300 --> 00:33:13,310 You know? You know, the... the nasty, you know? 450 00:33:13,630 --> 00:33:17,510 And, like, Samuel Johnson, you know, used this, 451 00:33:17,710 --> 00:33:22,250 you know, as a kind of disrespect. It was 452 00:33:22,250 --> 00:33:25,050 disparaging, the metaphysical, the crazy people, 453 00:33:25,510 --> 00:33:28,810 you know? So usually, like, they were turned, 454 00:33:28,910 --> 00:33:36,550 like, metaphysical. Why? Because they were... When 455 00:33:36,550 --> 00:33:41,180 they wanted to persuade you They tried to yoke 456 00:33:41,180 --> 00:33:43,040 together. You know what I mean? Yoke, bring 457 00:33:43,040 --> 00:33:47,960 together two things which are not likely to be 458 00:33:47,960 --> 00:33:52,040 connected. And that was the cleverness. So they 459 00:33:52,040 --> 00:33:55,440 were yoking together heterogeneous ideas. 460 00:33:56,620 --> 00:33:58,200 Heterogeneous ideas. 461 00:34:05,740 --> 00:34:10,380 Like what Eliot said about, you know, them. Eliot 462 00:34:10,380 --> 00:34:15,780 said that those poets were a generation more often 463 00:34:15,780 --> 00:34:19,440 named than read, and more often read than 464 00:34:19,440 --> 00:34:23,960 profitably studied. Like, they were neglected. He 465 00:34:23,960 --> 00:34:28,990 admired them. Because C.S. Eliot was a poet who 466 00:34:28,990 --> 00:34:35,090 evaluated poetry of ideas, poetry of strong ideas, 467 00:34:35,550 --> 00:34:40,330 of, you know, difficult ideas. And, of course, he 468 00:34:40,330 --> 00:34:43,310 thought that, you know, the Middlesex poets were 469 00:34:43,310 --> 00:34:48,070 modern because of their conceits and paradoxes. 470 00:34:51,300 --> 00:34:53,580 So as you see here, the phrase metaphysical has 471 00:34:53,580 --> 00:34:56,700 long done duty as a term of abuse. They were 472 00:34:56,700 --> 00:35:00,220 abusing them. It was not a kind of respect. 473 00:35:09,620 --> 00:35:15,210 So they had their reputation. because their poetry 474 00:35:15,210 --> 00:35:19,050 was very strong. And even though critics continued 475 00:35:19,050 --> 00:35:24,270 criticizing them, they were very strong. Here, 476 00:35:25,070 --> 00:35:27,830 this is the first characteristic, the wit or the 477 00:35:27,830 --> 00:35:31,390 conceit. What is the conceit here? It is a 478 00:35:31,390 --> 00:35:37,210 combination of dissimilar images or discovery of 479 00:35:37,210 --> 00:35:42,270 occult resemblance. Occult, like you see, it is 480 00:35:42,270 --> 00:35:44,690 very, you know, not straightforward. It's the 481 00:35:44,690 --> 00:35:47,890 opposite. A resemblance in things apparently 482 00:35:47,890 --> 00:35:52,590 unlike. So, like in The Flea, which you gave an 483 00:35:52,590 --> 00:35:59,010 example. Here we have a poem. This is The Flea. In 484 00:35:59,010 --> 00:36:05,020 fact this poem seems to be you know He talks about 485 00:36:05,020 --> 00:36:08,600 what is strange about John Donne. Like, when he 486 00:36:08,600 --> 00:36:11,080 was talking about religion, he was talking about 487 00:36:11,080 --> 00:36:13,900 religion in terms of love. And when he was talking 488 00:36:13,900 --> 00:36:17,000 about love, he was talking about, you know, love 489 00:36:17,000 --> 00:36:23,300 in terms of religion. So here, like, he was trying 490 00:36:23,300 --> 00:36:27,420 to persuade, you know, like, I don't know, a lady. 491 00:36:27,980 --> 00:36:32,240 And he said, you and I are like a flea. You know? 492 00:36:32,900 --> 00:36:39,240 So you and I, we are three in one. You and I. Why? 493 00:36:39,360 --> 00:36:42,860 Because this flea sucked your blood and it sucked 494 00:36:42,860 --> 00:36:47,900 my blood. So we are three in one. But all of this, 495 00:36:48,620 --> 00:36:52,860 You know, like what he wanted to say, like, you 496 00:36:52,860 --> 00:36:56,400 know, he wanted to express a very central 497 00:36:56,400 --> 00:37:00,160 Christian notion of the idea of a Trinity, you 498 00:37:00,160 --> 00:37:03,400 know, God three in one. Which, of course, as a 499 00:37:03,400 --> 00:37:08,840 Muslim, we don't buy this at all. So he was using 500 00:37:08,840 --> 00:37:12,380 this conceit, but he was using it in a very, you 501 00:37:12,380 --> 00:37:16,080 know, vulgar manner, in a very, you know, erotic. 502 00:37:16,360 --> 00:37:20,620 These are erotic images, you know? So yes, one 503 00:37:20,620 --> 00:37:23,980 characteristic of the metaphysical poetry, they 504 00:37:23,980 --> 00:37:26,040 were using erotic images. 505 00:37:30,350 --> 00:37:33,090 Now, this is better my heart is the poem which we 506 00:37:33,090 --> 00:37:36,930 want to study. But of course, the list I have just 507 00:37:36,930 --> 00:37:40,870 given you is not complete because there are more 508 00:37:40,870 --> 00:37:47,610 characteristics. So I prefer to read this poem and 509 00:37:47,610 --> 00:37:52,230 to consider more characteristics after Eid. But I 510 00:37:52,230 --> 00:37:58,030 want to read this poem aloud for you And then, you 511 00:37:58,030 --> 00:38:01,390 know, you consider how you analyze this and how 512 00:38:01,390 --> 00:38:03,870 you prepare it and how you respond for it. Okay? 513 00:38:05,950 --> 00:38:10,310 Better my heart, three-person God, for you as yet 514 00:38:10,310 --> 00:38:14,310 but not breathe shine and seek to mend that I may 515 00:38:14,310 --> 00:38:18,190 rise and stand, overthrow me and bend your force 516 00:38:18,190 --> 00:38:23,030 to break, blow, burn, and make me new. I, like an 517 00:38:23,030 --> 00:38:26,810 usurped town, to another due? Labor to admit you, 518 00:38:26,950 --> 00:38:32,410 but owe to no end? Reason your viceroy in me. Me 519 00:38:32,410 --> 00:38:36,630 should defend what is captive and proves weak or 520 00:38:36,630 --> 00:38:40,750 untrue? Yet dearly I love you, and would be loved 521 00:38:40,750 --> 00:38:46,190 thin. But I'm betrothed into your enemy. Divorce 522 00:38:46,190 --> 00:38:50,700 me, untie, break that knot again. Take to me, 523 00:38:50,900 --> 00:38:57,300 imprison me, for I accept you, for I accept you 524 00:38:57,300 --> 00:39:02,140 enthrall me, never shall be free, nor ever chased, 525 00:39:03,020 --> 00:39:08,170 except you ravage me. It could be read, like, also 526 00:39:08,170 --> 00:39:10,670 in a different way. It could be read like this. By 527 00:39:10,670 --> 00:39:13,830 my heart, three-person God for you as yet but not 528 00:39:13,830 --> 00:39:17,190 brave shine and seek to men that I may rise. It 529 00:39:17,190 --> 00:39:19,670 could be like something like this. It's very 530 00:39:19,670 --> 00:39:24,790 noisy. It's like, you know, like crab. You know? 531 00:39:25,010 --> 00:39:28,370 Okay. Divorce me, untie or break that knot again. 532 00:39:28,970 --> 00:39:33,310 Take me to you. Imprison me, for I accept. You 533 00:39:33,310 --> 00:39:36,790 enthrall me, never shall be free, never chase 534 00:39:36,790 --> 00:39:39,690 except you ravage me. So read it, respond to it, 535 00:39:40,130 --> 00:39:43,170 and then inshallah after Eid, we're going to 536 00:39:43,170 --> 00:39:45,730 consider this, reconsider, we are going to 537 00:39:45,730 --> 00:39:49,510 reconsider. Thank you for listening. I wish you a 538 00:39:49,510 --> 00:39:52,510 happy Eid. I wish you enjoy your Eid as I 539 00:39:52,510 --> 00:39:56,010 recommended. Enjoy your Eid, and then study hard. 540 00:39:56,390 --> 00:39:56,870 Thanks a lot.