The Canonization Summary
John Donne

The Canonization Overview

"The Canonization" is a five-stanza metaphysical poem by English poet John Donne. Likely written in the 1590s, the poem was published posthumously in the first collection of Donne’s poetry in 1633, two years after his death. In “The Canonization,” an unnamed speaker celebrates the romantic union with his beloved as a transcendent experience. The poem relies heavily on metaphor and paradox as the speaker argues that he and his beloved are deserving of sainthood.