John Donne's poem "The Triple Fool" explores the complex emotions of love and grief through creative imagery and paradoxical statements. The speaker expresses how writing poetry allows him to process his pain, but then others may perform his verses and expose his private suffering to a wider audience. Donne employs an unconventional rhyme scheme and enjambment to create a meditative, speculative tone. While the poem at first suggests poetry can contain grief, Donne then contradicts this by noting how published works take on lives of their own, revealing the speaker's foolishness in exposing his emotions.

1. I am two fools, I know—
For loving, and for saying so
In whining poetry;
But where's that wiseman that would not be I,
If she would not deny?
Then, as th' earths inward narrow crooked lanes
Do purge sea waters fretful salt away,
I thought, if I could draw my pains
Through rhymes vexation, I should them allay.
Grief brought to numbers cannot be so fierce,
For he tames it that fetters it in verse.
But when I have done so,
Some man, his art and voice to show,
Doth set and sing my pain,
And, by delighting many, frees again
Grief, which verse did restrain.
To Love and Grief tribute of verse belongs,
But not of such as pleases when 'tis read;
Both are increased by such songs,
For both their triumphs so are published;
And I, which was two fooles, do so grow three;
Who are a little wise, the best fools be.
Я дважды дурнем был:
Когда влюбился и когда скулил
В стихах о страсти этой;
Но кто бы ум на глупость не сменил,
Надеждой подогретый?
Как опресняется вода морей,
Сквозь лабиринты проходя земные,
Так, мнил я, боль души моей
Замрет, пройдя теснины стиховые:
Расчисленная скорбь не так сильна,
Закованная в рифмы - не страшна.
Увы! к моим стихам
Певец, для услажденья милых дам,
Мотив примыслил модный
И волю дал неистовым скорбям,
Пропев их принародно.
И без того любви приносит стих
Печальну дань; но песня умножает
Триумф губителей моих
И мой позор тем громче возглашает.
Так я, перемудрив, попал впросак:
Был дважды дурнем - стал тройной дурак.

2. EnglishpoetJohnDonne leftalastingmarkon 17th Centuryliterature withanumberof wry yet
emotionallyintense poems,including“The Triple Fool.”Tobetterunderstandthe elementsof this
particularpoem,ithelpstounderstandthe poeticstyle mostoftenassociatedwithDonne.He is
consideredamasterof “metaphysical poetry,”amovementthatexploredphilosophical subjects
throughmeditative verse,reasoningandparadox.
A Departure FromTradition
In “The Triple Fool,”Donne usesplayful,sometimesunpredictable rhymeschemesthroughouttwo11-
line stanzas.The firsttwoand lasttwo linesof eachstanzadirectlyrhyme butdon’talwayscomplete a
sentence.Likewise,the remaininglinesalternatetosucha degree thatthe flow of language sometimes
takeson a skippingeffect.Accordingtothe Academyof AmericanPoets,Donne’stechniquemarkeda
dramaticdeparture fromtraditional verse.
Structure ReinforcesSpeculation
The directrhymesinthe poemdon’talwaysproduce asense of closure.Forexample,the poemopens:
“I am two fools,Iknow/ For loving,andforsayingso/ In whiningpoetry.”The directrhyme occurson
line two,butthe thoughtcontinuesinthe prepositionalphrase of line three.Thisrunningoveriscalled
enjambment,andDonne employsittocreate a musing,circuitousrhythmthatreinforcesthe
speculative nature of the poem.
The Processof the Artist
Notto be confusedwithautobiography,self-referentialityoccurswhenawriter,withinthe bodyof a
work,callsattentiontothe artisticprocessitself andthe role of the author.Oftenassociatedwith
heightenedself-consciousnessinmodernistworks,the technique hasbeenusedforcenturies.In“The
Triple Fool,”Donne detailsthe catharticprocessof convertinggriefintoverse:“Ithought,if Icoulddraw
my pains/ Throughrhyme’svexation,Ishouldthemallay.”He laterexploreshow suchaprocesscan be
undone byanother’spublicreadingof hisverse.Twofools,the original suffererandthe poet,then
become three foolswhensomeoneelseappropriatesthe workandexposesthe painall overagain.
ContradictoryStatements
Unlike logical conclusionsthatfollowclearpremises,paradoxesjarthe readerwiththe confounding
nature of existence.In“The Triple Fool,”Donne firstassertsthatpoetrycanhelpmitigate griefby
containingit.Buthe quicklycontradictshimselfbyrevealingthe unaccountable nature of the printed
word;for hispoemstake on livesof theirown.Hisinitial geniusof expressionbecomesthe symptomof
hisfoolishness.
In the earlyseventeenth-century,Englishpoetsusedmetaphysical poetrytoenlightenhighlyintellectual
and oftenabstruse imageryintheirworks,whichfurther advancedthe poeticstyle of JohnDonne.
Donne’spoetrymakesuse of complex images,whichare remarkablyconvincingtothe reader.Despite
the use of extensive techniquesandvaryingimages,the greatnessof Donne’spoetryisthe simplicityin
the ideas expressed.JohnDonne’spoem, “The Triple Fool,”suggestsunrequitedlove andfollythrough
hisuse of creative imagery,sorrowful diction,andassertive tone.
Firstly,Donne'spoetryishighlydistinctiveandindividual,adoptingamultitude of images.The poem
offerselaborate parallelsbetweenapparentlydissimilarthings,“Thenasth’earth’sinwardnarrow

3. crookedlanes,Dopurge seawater’sfretful saltaway,”(Donne,Lines6-7) Donne'spoemexpressesa
wide varietyof emotionsandattitudes,asif Donne himself were tryingtodefine hisexperience of love
throughhispoetry.Although,“The Triple Fool”givesalimitedview of Donne’sattitude towardslove,
Donne treatsthe poemas a part of experience,givinginsightintothe complex range of experiences
concerninglove andgrief,“Ithought,if Icould draw my painsthroughrhyme'svexation,Ishouldthem
allay.”(Donne,Lines8-9) Overall,the imageryin“The Triple Fool,”contributestoDonne’ssorrowful
dictionof love andgrief.
Moreover,Donne explainsthatpoetryisforlove andgrief,andnot forpleasingthings,butsongsmake
love andgrief evenworse.The firstverse of the poemstatesthathe istwo timesafool,a fool forloving,
and a fool foradmittingit,“I am twofools,Iknow,for loving,andforsayingsoin whiningpoetry.”
(Donne,Lines1-3) Donne followstosaythathe wouldstill notbe wise,evenif “she”(Donne,Line5)
returnedhislove.Donne releaseshisemotionsbytransferringthemintohispoem;he usesnature asa
metaphorforhislove,“Dothsetand singmy...