John Donne's "The Bait" Commentary

The Bait

Come live with me, and be my love,
And we will some new pleasures prove
Of golden sands, and crystal brooks,
With silken lines, and silver hooks.

There will the river whispering run
Warm'd by thy eyes, more than the sun;
And there the 'enamour'd fish will stay,
Begging themselves they may betray.

When thou wilt swim in that live bath,
Each fish, which every channel hath,
Will amorously to thee swim,
Gladder to catch thee, than thou him.

If thou, to be so seen, be'st loth,
By sun or moon, thou dark'nest both,
And if myself have leave to see,
I need not their light having thee.

Let others freeze with angling reeds,
And cut their legs with shells and weeds,
Or treacherously poor fish beset,
With strangling snare, or windowy net.

Let coarse bold hands from slimy nest
The bedded fish in banks out-wrest;
Or curious traitors, sleeve-silk flies,
Bewitch poor fishes' wand'ring eyes.

For thee, thou need'st no such deceit,
For thou thyself art thine own bait:
That fish, that is not catch'd thereby,
Alas, is wiser far than I.

Commentary:
In John Donne's "The Bait," Donne uses the metaphors of bait compared to women and fish compared to men to symbolize the relationship between man and woman, demonstrating the power women have over men and the weakness men have when it comes to women.
The comparioson of bait to women demonstrates women's power over men because bait is used by fishermen to lure, trip, trap, and catch the fish who are foolish enough to be pulled in by its glamour. In reference to the women in the poem, Donne says, "Each fish, which every channel hath, will amourously to thee swim, gladder to catch thee, than thou him." These three lines mean that men from all over are often lured by women's natural charm and beauty, even though the women don't want them. This shows the natural power that women have. He also states that women do not need anything to enhance their charm or glamour because just being a woman gives them natural charm, in the last stanzas.
Donne's comparing men to fish demonstrates men's weakness when it comes to women because fish are constantly tricked by bait all the time, over and over again, yet they never learn. This is exemplified in the second to last stanza when he says, "Or curious traitors, sleeve-silk flies, Bewitch poor fishes' wand'ring eyes." This means that pretty, glamourous women lure in men with wandering eyes and catch them in the women's natural charm trap.