WHY ARE WE BY ALL CREATURES WAITED ON?
HOLY SONNET 12
John Donne is The pioneer of the metaphysical school of poetry is equally known for his holy sonnets. As he is known for his love poems almost all holy sonnets deal with the theme of Christianity, spirituality and man’s relation to God almighty. In this sonnet he also talks about the same. Click here on the link below to know more about Donne’s theme in his Holy Sonnets.
The present Sonnet by John Donne is a sinner’s confession that he is inferior to the beasts and creatures because he has lived the life of a sinner and not those beasts and creatures. The Sonnet here prepares a comparison between mankind and the creatures.
The Sonnet begins with a question asked by the sinner. The question is why do the creatures have to wait on mankind, why do they live the life of a slavery for mankind. This question is followed with one more question which is address to all the elements of nature. The question is why do all the elements of nature are generous in supplying food and life to the mankind. What the sinner wants to ask is that creatures and all the element of nature, the river, the mountains the flower plants, the fruit plants and the grain plants- they are not sinners and yet what is the reason that they have to serve mankind, which is the singer. The poet here finds it difficult to accept that those who are not sinners- creatures and nature have to live for mankind though mankind commits sins.
The poet finds beast and creatures far away from corruption and sins. But they have to serve mankind. The sinner of the present sonnet asks the question to the horse that why does it accept man’s slavery by becoming a subject of mankind. The next question is directed to the Bull and the bore and that is why do they present themselves as weak creatures before mankind when it is possible for such creatures to destroy the whole mankind. Such creatures can swallow the whole mankind even when mankind lives life of sin and corruption.
The sinner of the present poem admit that he has committed sind, lived a weak life morally, faced many misfortunes and he is worse than those beasts and creatures. The sinner tells such creatures that there is no need for them to be weak, submissive and fearful. Those creatures should be surprised to notice and watch the mankind which is the biggest surprise ever created by god. All the creatures and elements of nature are created by God for mankind, which is never free from sin and corruption. The creator remains untied from sins and corruption. It is only the creator’s creatures which have to serve mankind.
The present Sonnet juxtapose the world of creatures against the world of mankind. The poet John Donne by juxtaposing this world come to a conclusion that the world of creatures and nature are free from sins and corruption, and yet they have to live life for mankind because god loves man as supreme among all other creation. So other creation leave their lives for mankind.