A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning Analysis

The Poem Valediction: Forbidding Mourning 1 As virtuous men pass mildly away, 2 And whisper to their soules, to goe, 3 Whilst some of their sad friends doe say, 4 'The breath goes now,' and some say, ‘no:' 5 So let us melt, and make no noise, 6 No teare-floods, nor sigh-tempests move; 7 'Twere profanation of our joys 8 To tell the layetie our love. 9 Moving of th' earth brings harms and feares; 10 Men reckon what it did, and meant, 11 But trepidation of the spheares, 12 Though greater farre, is innocent. 13 Dull sublunary lovers love 14 (Whose soule in sense) cannot admit 15 Absence, because it doth remove 16 Those things which elemented it.

The Poem 17 But we by a love so much refin'd, 18 That ourselves know not what it is, 19 Inter-assured of the mind, 20 Care lesse, eyes, lips, and hands to misse. 21 Our two soules therefore, which are one, 22 Though I must goe, endure not yet 23 A breach, but an expansion, 24 Like gold to ayery thinnesse beat. 25 If they be two, they are two so 26 As stiffe twin compasses are two, 27 Thy soul, the fixt foot, makes no show 28 To move, but doth, if the' other doe. 29 And though it in the center sit, 30 Yet when the other far doth rome, 31 It leanes, and hearkens after it, 32 And growes erect, as that comes home. 33 Such wilt thou be to mee, who must 34 Like th' other foot, obliquely runne; 35 Thy firmness makes my circle just, 36 And makes me end, where I begunne.

Themes & Ideas Themes: Love as a supreme experience. Explores the quality of the love they share and its importance. This love is a love of the mind, much deeper than a lustful love of the body. Therefore, their love will endure, even when the lovers are not physically close. It’s likely the poem was written for Donne’s wife Anne. The metaphysical poets investigate the world through witty & rational discussion of its phenomena, rather than by intuition and mysticism. Feeling is given expression through intellectual concepts. Structure: 9 stanzas, each containing four lines (quatrains), with a strict rhyming structure. Donne employs a logical and predictable structure for his poem, tying together complex ideas about human emotion.  

Stanza 1 A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning Metaphor - separation is death for all lovers. However, Donne will go onto argue that he and his lover are always metaphysically united, although they may be physically apart. Valediction – an important farewell (eg: a valediction may be read at a fueral) A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning 1 As virtuous men pass mildly away, 2 And whisper to their soules, to goe, 3 Whilst some of their sad friends doe say, 4 'The breath goes now,' and some say, ‘no:' The sign of a virtuous life was a serene and willing death; God’s promised reward was a comfort to those dying. Therefore the mood is quiet and peaceful. Sibilance – reflects the gently passing/taking leave, reinforces a sense of calm in the opening Poem opens with sombre tone: deathbed scene Donne’s argument starts with the premise that body and soul are separate entities, stating that they can ‘whisper’ to each other. Simile - parting of these lovers is likened to the death of a virtuous man. Virtuous men don’t fight death, rather they accept it, knowing they will be accepted into Heaven.

Stanza Two 5 So let us melt, and make no noise, Metaphor: Donne represents lovers as liquids that mix together, silently, suggesting a calm and fluid characterisation of their love. Donne rejects and mocks Petrarchan standards/expectations of floods of tears and tempests of sighs. Instead, he uses religious imagery (profanation of our joys) to characterise a mature/transcendent devotion. Their love is sacred. 5 So let us melt, and make no noise, 6 No teare-floods, nor sigh-tempests move; 7 'Twere profanation of our joys 8 To tell the layetie our love. It would devalue our joys if we tell ordinary people about our love Layetie – common people (not officers of the Church), people who don’t understand their love. .

Stanza Three 9 Moving of th' earth brings harms and feares; 10 Men reckon what it did, and meant, 11 But trepidation of the spheares, 12 Though greater farre, is innocent.   Earthquake Donne utilises scientific, astrological and weather imagery Innocent = harmless Although the movement of planets is significant, it is peaceful and clam. Donne states that people fear the chaos of earthquakes and natural disasters, however, the separation of two lovers is far more significant, because they are like planetary bodies, above mortal Earth. Metaphor: lovers are planets. The hyperbolic metaphor emphasises the magnitude of their love

Stanza Four 13 Dull sublunary lovers love Analogy with science continues to develop here; reference to natural world and metals 13 Dull sublunary lovers love 14 (Whose soule in sense) cannot admit 15 Absence, because it doth remove 16 Those things which elemented it.   Reference to the order of nature/Great Chain of Being. Earthly lovers, who are interested only with sensual love, are bound to mere worldliness. Meanwhile, the speaker and his lover are like an element refined to such purity that it ceases to exist in physical terms  

Stanza Five 17 But we by a love so much refin'd, Our love is a mystery, even to ourselves, elevating it to a spiritual level. Love being ‘refined’ alludes to the practice of alchemy (transforming metal into gold), eventually the gold is beaten and expanded in order to produce a ring (a symbol of love and unity). 17 But we by a love so much refin'd, 18 That ourselves know not what it is, 19 Inter-assured of the mind, 20 Care lesse, eyes, lips, and hands to misse.   Inter-assured: we share a single soul Donne suggests through the use of synecdoche that love based only on physical attraction is weaker than love in which lovers share their minds with each other and have a spiritual connection. These lovers don’t care if the physical connection is lost, because their love is supreme.

Stanza Six 21 Our two soules therefore, which are one, Motif of lovers’ souls being intermingled is continued. 21 Our two soules therefore, which are one, 22 Though I must goe, endure not yet 23 A breach, but an expansion, 24 Like gold to ayery thinnesse beat.   Physical separation cannot destroy their love, it only makes it stronger. Analogy with craftmanship; their love expands, extends. Their love is gold refined into a pure/beautiful form. Paradox: it expands, but it doesn’t break (breach)

Stanza Seven 25 If they be two, they are two so Conceit - The lovers are two beings, but always united, like the legs of a compass 25 If they be two, they are two so 26 As stiffe twin compasses are two, 27 Thy soul, the fixt foot, makes no show 28 To move, but doth, if the' other doe.   Conceit-the lovers are compared with a compass; the lover will be moved if the other is moved. Woman represented in a passive role; she moves when he does

Stanza Eight 29 And though it in the center sit, Compass conceit is further developed This is a striking analogy because of the odd nature of the comparison between lovers’ souls and a cartographer’s instrument The compass analogy suggests that lovers are distinct beings, with duality, but they are also eternally united as one. 29 And though it in the center sit, 30 Yet when the other far doth rome, 31 It leanes, and hearkens after it, 32 And growes erect, as that comes home.   Personification of the compass strengthens the image. Sexual innuendo/double entendre suggests their relationship, although not only physical, does possess physical attraction. The metaphor also highlights his lover’s excitement at his return.  

Stanza Nine 33 Such wilt thou be to mee, who must Conceit develops: The speaker’s lover is left behind, like the centre leg of the compass, remaining still while the other leg moves. Firmness = faithfulness/con stancy. She is the moral centre to his life 33 Such wilt thou be to mee, who must 34 Like th' other foot, obliquely runne; 35 Thy firmness makes my circle just, 36 And makes me end, where I begunne.   Closing the circle represents their reunion As Donne draws his conceit and argument to an end, the imagery is epitomised through the description of a compass drawing a perfect circle; ‘circle just’. Symbolism - Circles symbolise perfection, infinity, eternity, rings (marriage), symmetry, perfection, balance Throughout the poem, Donne has built a complex, yet beautiful argument defending why the lovers should not be saddened by their impending separation.