Question

Which of the following excerpts is an example of metaphysical conceit?

Busy old fool, unruly sun,
Why dost thou thus
Through windows and through curtains call on us?
Must to thy motions lovers' seasons run?
(John Donne, "The Sun Rising”)

O stay, three lives in one flea spare,
Where we almost, nay more than married are.
This flea is you and I, and this
Our marriage bed, and marriage temple is;
Though parents grudge, and you, we are met,
(John Donne, "The Flea")

On double pleasures: leave thy cold dispute
Of what is fit and not. Forsake thy cage,
Thy rope of sands,
(George Herbert, "The Collar")

We would sit down, and think which way
To walk, and pass our long love's day.
Thou by the Indian Ganges' side
Shouldst rubies find;

Answer 1

The excerpt which is an example of metaphysical conceit is found in the second example, the poem "The Flea." First, you need to know what a metaphysical conceit is. It is a symbol, or an allegory, that is extended throughout a stanza, or the entire poem itself. So here, in the poem "The Flea," the poet John Donne is not really talking about a flea, but rather that flea is a symbol of a sexual act between two lovers. The other poems are pretty straightforward, but "The Flea" takes some time to understand and analyze.