Home>Q&A>Literature>What does the sentence in Song written by John Donne, “Or who cleft the Devil’s foot, Teach me to hear mermaids singing, Or to keep off envy’s stinging” mean?
What does the sentence in Song written by John Donne, “Or who cleft the Devil’s foot, Teach me to hear mermaids singing, Or to keep off envy’s stinging” mean?
John Donne’s or who cleft the Devil’s foot, Teach me to hear mermaids singing, Or to keep off envy’s stinging means that there is no way one can get a chaste woman in this world. The first part, “Or who cleft the Devil’s foot”, emphasizes how getting a virtuous woman is as easy or difficult as clinging on the devil’s foot. It is impossible to get hold of the devil; consequently, it is impossible to get a chaste woman.
The second part, “teach me to hear mermaids singing”, still explores whether it is possible to get a virgin woman. The writer compares hearing mermaids sing to getting a pure woman. It is impossible to learn how to hear ghosts sing. Finally, the sting of envy is inevitable; if it were possible to keep off this sting, then one would possibly find a chaste woman.
Answer's rating:
Answered by IvyPanda
One of our experts with a specialization in Literature has kindly provided an answer to this question. Feel free to rate the answer and let us know if you liked it.
IvyPanda. (2021, November 10). What does the sentence in Song written by John Donne, “Or who cleft the Devil's foot, Teach me to hear mermaids singing, Or to keep off envy's stinging” mean? https://ivypanda.com/q/sentence-in-song-written-by-john-donne-meaning/
Work Cited
"What does the sentence in Song written by John Donne, “Or who cleft the Devil's foot, Teach me to hear mermaids singing, Or to keep off envy's stinging” mean?" IvyPanda, 10 Nov. 2021, ivypanda.com/q/sentence-in-song-written-by-john-donne-meaning/.
References
IvyPanda. (2021) 'What does the sentence in Song written by John Donne, “Or who cleft the Devil's foot, Teach me to hear mermaids singing, Or to keep off envy's stinging” mean'. 10 November.
References
IvyPanda. 2021. "What does the sentence in Song written by John Donne, “Or who cleft the Devil's foot, Teach me to hear mermaids singing, Or to keep off envy's stinging” mean?" November 10, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/q/sentence-in-song-written-by-john-donne-meaning/.
1. IvyPanda. "What does the sentence in Song written by John Donne, “Or who cleft the Devil's foot, Teach me to hear mermaids singing, Or to keep off envy's stinging” mean?" November 10, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/q/sentence-in-song-written-by-john-donne-meaning/.
Bibliography
IvyPanda. "What does the sentence in Song written by John Donne, “Or who cleft the Devil's foot, Teach me to hear mermaids singing, Or to keep off envy's stinging” mean?" November 10, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/q/sentence-in-song-written-by-john-donne-meaning/.
