“To His Mistress Going to Bed” (c. 1593) is an erotic poem by John Donne.  In the piece the poet encourages his lover to undress, asking her to remove her clothes, starting at the top and finishing at the bottom.  Then he reveals he is naked and erect.   Donne probably wrote it in the 1590’s as a young man.  While the poem was refused printing initially, it was published posthumously in 1654.

John Donne (1571-1631) was a poet, scholar, soldier and priest.  One of the younger Elizabethan poets, he wrote on both secular and religious topics.  His erotic and love poetry also included “The Flea” and “Love’s Progress”.  Though the verses are carnal, death is often intertwined.

“To His Mistress Going to Bed” is a sensual, bawdy poem.  Donne makes it plain to his lover that he is ready for intercourse.

A quote:

      “License my roving hands, and let them go,/ Before, behind, between, above and below”.

S. Gray

July 2024