A Dark Past

"Bathed in a cold quicksilver sweat, wilt lie
A verier ghost then I..."
("The Apparition" - John Donne)

This poem seems a little bitter, and I think I understand why.  Donne's diction seems to be generally negative with words such as "scorn," "murderess," and "feigned vestal."  In context, "feigned vestal" means a a person who is pretending to be a virgin.  Obviously the woman is not a virgin.  I think the speaker was a short lived lover who does not want the woman to ruin her life by committing two sins: adultery and lying.  She can not take back the sin of adultery; however, she can avoid lying by telling her husband (I assume) about her past.  The speaker is not seeking revenge even though he seems bitter.  I think he is just warning her about what might happen if she does not tell the truth.

The quote above describes the husband's reaction after a hypothetical scenario is laid out by the speaker.  The speaker says if the woman does not repent, she will be forced to call out her former lover's name in her sleep, and her husband will then know of her past.  Donne uses the word "bathed" to show how the emotion will quickly engulf the man.    In this context, quicksilver means a quick change.  Instead of stating that the man was shocked, Donne compares the husband to a ghost.  This does not literally mean that the man turned to a ghost; in contrast, it means that the man became "as pale as a ghost," showing that he was shocked and devastated by the situation.  In this poem, diction ultimately sets the dark, bitter tone.