How do I read this?!: Change in Punctuation of Original Texts vs. Norton

            The punctuation in the 1633 original copies of the John Donne varies greatly from the punctuation that is seen in the Norton Anthology used for the British Literature class used today. Not only does this detract from the poem’s flow but it also takes away a lot of its original pronunciation. The change in the punctuation, and some capitalization, may have also affected how one may interpret the poem; it could have lost its meaning even though the poem itself has transcended time.

            The punctuation that differs throughout the two versions of the collection of poems causes the reader to pronounce the words differently, take different breaths during the reading, and some of the meaning is lost when something is a comma rather than a semicolon or an exclamation point. For example, in the poem “The Flea”, the original uses the word “suck’d” indicating that we pronounce it as one word, whereas it is spelled out as “sucked” in the Norton Anthology. The Norton Anthology also does this with “pamper’d”, making it “pampered” and “w’are” changing it to “we are” in its version. Although the “e” in the word is not quite pronounced in modern English, there is a difference between “suck’d” and “sucked” when read aloud by the reader.

            It seems that the Norton Anthology takes out many commas it seems to have deemed unnecessary as well. The original “And in this flea, our two bloods mingled bee;” changed to “And in this flea our two bloods mingled be” and “Purpled thy naile, in blood of innocence?” becomes “Purpled thy nail in blood of innocence?” This happens several times throughout this one poem, causing the reader to read it differently than Donne may have originally intended the poem to be read. This is a recurring practice throughout the Norton Anthology on several of the poems authored by Donne; “And whisper to their soules, to goe,” becomes “And whisper to their souls to go” in “A Valediction: Forbidden Mourning”. It seems as though the Norton Anthology wants the reader to say the lines all in one breath and then take a rest as the end of the line, rather than pausing in the line itself. The line seems to be illustrating that the “virtuous men” from the first line are talking to their souls in the original version. The Norton Anthology takes that meaning away by not including the commas in their original positions and makes it seems passive.

            Even the title of this poem changes in the Norton Anthology. “A Valediction forbidden mourning” can be read quite differently than the title “A Valediction: Forbidden Mourning”; it cuts off the flow of the title, making it a separate piece rather than part of a whole. The lack of commas in the sonnet “Death, be not proud” makes it more of a rushed poem in the Norton Anthology rather than the contemplative poem it seems to be in the original collection of poems. The lack of capitalization of the word “Fate” is also troublesome, as the Fates are often invoked in poetry, just as Muses or gods are; the change between “Fate” and “fate” means something different entirely and it loses the meaning in the poem without its capitalization.

            There is a lot to be said about the original punctuation in poetry. It should not be changed; it changes the meaning of the poem. Whether the reader is a modern English speaker should not sway publishers to change the meaning of the poem by taking it out of its original context. If it is required that a modern version of the text be read, it should also be required that a text from the original publishing date of the poem be read as well. This would not only enrich the reading of the modern text, but perhaps give a new understanding and deeper meaning of the text by reading it as it was originally intended.    

(Week #5/Rumination #3)

P.S. Wit is on Amazon.com for $6.99. I was so fascinated with the clips we watched, I bought it XD