A metaphysical poetic comparison: donne’s ‘A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning’ & Manço’s ‘Cufflinks’
Interpersona, cilt.20, sa.2, ss.1-18, 2026 (Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 20 Sayı: 2
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.54899/iij.v20i2.1299
- Dergi Adı: Interpersona
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Scopus, Sociology Source Ultimate (EBSCO), Psicodoc, Psycinfo, Directory of Open Access Journals, DIALNET
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.1-18
- Açık Arşiv Koleksiyonu: AVESİS Açık Erişim Koleksiyonu
- Uşak Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
This paper examines a comparative study of the poem ‘A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning’ by the English poet John Donne and the song ‘Cufflinks’ by Barış Manço, a key figure in Turkish Anatolian Rock music, within the framework of Metaphysical Poetry. The study reveals that, despite being created in different forms, times, places and cultures, these two works share many common features of Metaphysical Poetry, such as symbolism, profound thought, paradoxical expression and the use of metaphoric language. Indeed, it is evident that both works explore the love and separation of lovers through abstract concepts and concrete imagery. Through the image of the compass, Donne both concretises abstract concepts such as love and separation and elevates them to a spiritual dimension as a guarantor of their eventual reunion. On the other hand, in Manço’s song, the cufflinks serve both as a tangible object representing a lost love and as a symbol of memories and sorrow. Thus, it is evident that the fundamental elements ofMetaphysical Poetry are manifested in a similar yet functionally distinct manner in both works, despite differences in form, time, language and culture. In Donne’s work, the compass, a concrete representation of love, symbolises the lovers’ reunion through spiritual unity despite physical distance, while the cufflinks in Manço’s song are a tangible form of the memories of a lost love, representing the memories of that love remaining in the speaker’s imagination.This paper examines a comparative study of the poem ‘A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning’ by the English poet John Donne and the song ‘Cufflinks’ by Barış Manço, a key figure in Turkish Anatolian Rock music, within the framework of Metaphysical Poetry. The study reveals that, despite being created in different forms, times, places and cultures, these two works share many common features of Metaphysical Poetry, such as symbolism, profound thought, paradoxical expression and the use of metaphoric language. Indeed, it is evident that both works explore the love and separation of lovers through abstract concepts and concrete imagery. Through the image of the compass, Donne both concretises abstract concepts such as love and separation and elevates them to a spiritual dimension as a guarantor of their eventual reunion. On the other hand, in Manço’s song, the cufflinks serve both as a tangible object representing a lost love and as a symbol of memories and sorrow. Thus, it is evident that the fundamental elements ofMetaphysical Poetry are manifested in a similar yet functionally distinct manner in both works, despite differences in form, time, language and culture. In Donne’s work, the compass, a concrete representation of love, symbolises the lovers’ reunion through spiritual unity despite physical distance, while the cufflinks in Manço’s song are a tangible form of the memories of a lost love, representing the memories of that love remaining in the speaker’s imagination.