The Speaker

The unnamed speaker of the poem is a lover who ardently defends his version of love. He argues against those who question his devotion, and he uses a clever but complex series of metaphors and images to state his case. The speaker is so consumed by his love that he encourages the addressee – an unnamed critic who has presumably had much to say before the poem begins – to focus on all of his physical flaws associated with old age instead. For the speaker, the love he and his beloved share is transcendent and worthy of being canonized into sainthood. The speaker of "The Canonization" is multifaceted, at times expressing himself ironically and flirtatiously while also remaining reverent and celebratory of the mutuality he and his beloved share.

Adressee

The “You” that appears in the first three stanzas is an imagined critic who has spoken ill of the...