The Flee be Jonh Donne: An analysis

The Flee
by
John Donne
The Flea
John Donne

Mark but this flea, and mark in this,
How little that which thou deny'st me is;
It sucked me first, and now sucks thee,
And in this flea our two bloods mingled be;
Thou know'st that this cannot be said
A sin, nor shame, nor loss of maidenhead;
Yet this enjoys before it woo,
And pampered swells with one blood made of two,
And this, alas, is more than we would do.

Oh stay, three lives in one flea spare,
Where we almost, yea, more than married are.
This flea is you and I, and this
Our marriage bed, and marriage temple is;
Though parents grudge, and you, w'are met,
And cloistered in these living walls of jet.
Though use make you apt to kill me,
Let not to that, self-murder added be,
And sacrilege, three sins in killing three.

Cruel and sudden, hast thou since
Purpled thy nail in blood of innocence?
Wherein could this flea guilty be,
Except in that drop which it sucked from thee?
Yet thou triumph'st and say'st that thou
Find'st not thyself, nor me the weaker now;
'Tis true, then learn how false fears be:
Just so much honor, when thou yield'st to me,
Will waste, as this flea's death took life from thee




Background: The poet and his wife or beloved was alone in a room,that time when poet propose her for sex that time she denied thinking that her virginity will destroy,her honor will lost.That time the poet try to make her understand through the poem.

Analysis:
1st stanza:
The poet here says to his beloved that mark that flee,that at first it suck me and then also suck your blood.Now it have become pampered with our blood,our blood are combined in it's womb.So what will u say now "is it a sin" or "any matter of shame" or loss of your maidenhead".As u deny me but it have already done something more then we ever could do.

2nd stanza:
After hearing that his beloved become angry and have attempt to kill it thinking that all problem have come from it,as she have to listen so many things for it.The poet says her that ...please stay and stop don't kill it.Because its not only a flee now rather,it is our marriage temple ,and marriage bed in that sphere we are also there.In spite of being married that u could not do there it already have been hapended. If u kill it we tree will be killed ,you,me and the flee.Though u can kill me but can't kill yourself cause it will be self murdered and at the same time a sin of killing three.

3rd stanza:
Now poet's beloved being angry have already killed the flee,her nail become purple in the blood of the flee.
The poet says to her......"now tell me what have you gotten by killing this innocence flee,what was it fault except it suck a little drop of blood from you."
Being triumphs she tells......"where where...are you and me in it as you have told and tell me how i have lost my virginity,nothing happen to me and it is you who tell me that it have done something more hen you could do with me "
The poet says to her now that similarly there is nothing to be fear and lost of virginity nor you lost ur honor as now u says that nothing happen to you.

Conclusion: We know that John Donne is a love poet and a metaphysical writer,and this poem is a great example of his petrarcan idea,with a convenience argument and using the conceit he present his though.