I am unable, yonder beggar cries,
 To stand, or move; if he say true, he lies.

A humorous, if unsympathetic couplet - the surface meaning is, of course, a play on ‘lies’, but I feel the poem is, in a deeper sense, an attack on those who blithely disregard logic in their quest for a good emotional appeal. To say nothing of those who respond uncritically to such appeals. In other words, a poem wholly in line with my views on the subject <g>.

The other reason I like it is something I’ve had occasion to mention before
- you or I might have noticed the opportunity for a pun, and even commented on the incongruity, but only a poet would have thought to immortalised it in verse¹. And quite apart² from its poetic merits, such ‘incidental’ verse is a highly attractive art form - a combination of perceptiveness and craftsmanship that highlights the sheer pleasure of writing. No, this is hardly one of Donne’s masterpieces, but it is nonetheless a poem well worth reading.

Links

Here’s a biography of Donne, and a bit on the metaphysical poets as a bonus:
poem #330

I considered digging up a list of other such incidental poems on Minstrels, but there are a lot of them and I’m tired :) And I won’t include a list of other metaphysical poems, since I don’t think this one quite qualifies.

– martin