The Anniversary Poems

"The Anniversary Poems" by John Donne are a collection of elegies written in memory of Elizabeth Drury, the daughter of Donne's patron. In "An Anatomy of the World: The First Anniversary," Donne uses vivid poetic language to examine the state of the world a year after Elizabeth's death. He compares the world to a corpse that is corrupt in every part, with Elizabeth having taken with her all the goodness it once possessed. The collection serves as a tribute to Elizabeth and an exploration of the grief and loss experienced by Donne and those around him.