Read it through once

If we ask why Donne and his fellows have been neglected by some critics, the answer is that their standards of taste have been dominated by classical ideals of harmony and proportion. The metaphysical manner is not classical; it is baroque, it favours contrast and sudden movement rather than harmony. To those who expect music and smoothness, the metaphysical poets will seem inharmonious; but to those who are ready to accept a logic of passion, which may be abrupt and jagged, their work will appear indispensable.