MB UNIUD

WITCHCRAFT BY A PICTURE, John Donne

Text:

I fix mine eye on thine, and there

Pity my picture burning in thine eye ;
My picture drown'd in a transparent tear,
When I look lower I espy ;
Hadst thou the wicked skill
By pictures made and marr'd, to kill,
How many ways mightst thou perform thy will?

But now I've drunk thy sweet salt tears,
And though thou pour more, I'll depart ;
My picture vanished, vanish all fears
That I can be endamaged by that art ;
Though thou retain of me
One picture more, yet that will be,
Being in thine own heart, from all malice free.

Translation:

Fisso il mio occhio nel tuo e li

mi dispero per il ritratto che brucia nel tuo occhio

e vedo il mio ritratto che annega in una lacrima trasparente

e guardo più in basso;

hai tu la dannata competenza

di uccidere attraverso i ritratti distrutti?

In quanti modi non compi il tuo dovere?

Ora ho bevuto le tue lacrime salate

e anche se tu la spandi io scappo

a nascondermi nel mio ritratto, io non ho timore

di rimanere ferito da questa competenza

se tu possiedi

un'altra immagine e se questa sarà

nel tuo cuore immune da ogni pericolo.

Title:

Reading the title I think that the title spaeks about a picture (from the word “picture”). I also think that the poet describes what the picture arouses in a person (from the word “witchcraft”).

Denotative analysis:

The speaking voice of the sonnet says that someone looks himself in the eyes of his lover. He sees himself burn and drown in his lover teare when looks hes lover in the eyes. He tries shame when he looks himself because he feels inappropriate to her. He asks himself if his lover can try himself shame and the ways in which she can make it to him. When he feels better , he go away. He feels better and he stops to be afraid when he undersyands that his lover has another picture of him in her heart, a good picture.

Connotative analysis:

The sonnet speaks about love. The speaking voice mentions the aspect of the love about the passion in the second line, when he says “ pitty my picture burning in the thine eye”. So he looking himself in his lover eyes he sees his picture that burn. I say it because in this part of the text it speaks about passion because the word burn is a symbol of the passion.

The other aspect of love is the pain. I can affirm it because in the text there is the semantic field about the pain. It is composed of the words drown, teare, mard, kill, tears, feares and malice. This words convays the idea of pain.

The last aspect that are the most portrayed is feeling inappropriate to own lover. The most relevant part in which the reader can perceive this message is in the line four when the speaking voice says “ I looke lower”. Looking lower is the symbol of the feeling inappropriate, because who feels himself inferior than someone else cannot see him in the eyes, he thinks he cannot do it.

The sonnet follows the rules of the sonnet. As a matter of fact in the firs four lines the problem is introduced (feeling himself inappropriate). In the second quatrain the problem is extended. In the following three lines the argumentation are mentioned and the solution is introduced. In the last two lines the solution is presented. As a matter of fact he say that his picture in his lover eyes are only what he, being in love, thinks to be for his love. But he knows that if his lover reciprocate his love he does not appeare like he thins, but his lover apprecciates him.