“The Triple Fool” — John Donne

3 thoughts on ““The Triple Fool” — John Donne”

1. Reblogged this on Ilene Locke.

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2. A wonderful poem. What’s your take on the following line?

   “But where’s that wise man, that would not be I,
   If she would not deny?”

   I’m not quite able to parse this out. To whom is the “she” referring and what is she denying? Is “She” the one he loved and wrote about?

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   1. I think the “she” is the one he loved, sure, and I think the denial is rejection. Although those lines are tricky—full of double negations, and then the end of the poem seems to negate them or double back on them—that the loss of love provides the occasion for wisdom, gained through the loss but also the mediation of loss through writing—which is ultimately foolish.

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