Which metaphysical poet wrote 'The Flea'?

The metaphysical poet who wrote “The Flea” was John Donne. The poem turns a tiny insect into an elaborate argument about love, sex, honour, and marriage.

First published posthumously in 1633, “The Flea” was probably written in the 1590s, when Donne was a young law student. Its speaker points out that a flea has bitten both him and a woman, mixing their blood inside its body. He argues—deliberately absurdly—that this makes the flea their marriage bed and temple, and that intimacy between them should therefore be considered innocent.

The woman eventually kills the flea, puncturing the speaker’s argument. Donne’s speaker immediately invents a new one: since killing the flea caused no real harm or loss of honour, surrendering to him should not either. This sudden rhetorical pivot gives the poem much of its wit and comic energy.

Donne is strongly associated with metaphysical poetry, a style known for intellectual arguments, unexpected comparisons, and “conceits.” A common mix-up is to attribute “The Flea” to George Herbert or Andrew Marvell, both important metaphysical poets; however, the poem is specifically Donne’s.