A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning
Encyclopedia
"A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning" is a metaphysical poem written by John Donne
. According to Donne's biographer Izaak Walton
, Donne composed it for his wife, Anne More, in 1611, when Donne was about to embark on a trip to France and Germany. It was first published in the 1633 collection Songs and Sonnets, two years after Donne's death.
This poem is written with an ABAB rhyme scheme in iambic tetrameter.
Unlike some of Donne’s other works that are more carnal in nature, such as the poem “The Flea” or the song “Go, and catch a falling star,” “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning” is centered on a spiritual love that transcends the physical. As a metaphysical poem, this work uses several conceits, a type of analogy that takes something physical and compares it to something spiritual or beyond physical.
As the poem begins, the narrator talks of virtuous men that pass away and “whisper their souls to go,” meaning they pass away without lamenting. The narrator is telling his love that their parting should be the same. They should not mourn or cry because it would profane their love to show it in this way.
He further confirms this by saying that earthquakes bring fear and commotion, but celestial movements, such as the procession of the equinox, are more innocent. The narrator is saying that he and his lover have a kind of celestial love. Therefore, their parting does not need to cause commotion, like an earthquake, or a movement between more physical lovers.
The narrator then says that lovers who are more physical could not stand to be absent from each other because absence removes the very thing that they love about each other, which are their physical beings. However, since the narrator and his lover have a higher kind of love, they do not care as much that they will not be together physically.
The narrator states that their two souls are one. When they depart, they will not be separating, but expanding. He uses the conceit of gold (a metal that is beautiful and desirable) because gold is a malleable substance that can be stretched far apart while still staying together.
At the end, the poem famously uses the conceit
of a drafting compass
to describe the strength of their spiritual love. Donne writes:
The narrator is saying that his lover is the fixed foot of the compass and that he is the other foot. Even when one foot moves away from the other, the fixed foot will stay in one spot but lean in the direction of the other foot. This is saying that his lover will still “hearken after” him as he travels away and will still be there when he comes back. Finally, the narrator says that he must go, like the other foot of the compass. However, the firmness of his lover is what makes him return to her.
John Donne
John Donne 31 March 1631), English poet, satirist, lawyer, and priest, is now considered the preeminent representative of the metaphysical poets. His works are notable for their strong and sensual style and include sonnets, love poetry, religious poems, Latin translations, epigrams, elegies, songs,...
. According to Donne's biographer Izaak Walton
Izaak Walton
Izaak Walton was an English writer. Best known as the author of The Compleat Angler, he also wrote a number of short biographies which have been collected under the title of Walton's Lives.-Biography:...
, Donne composed it for his wife, Anne More, in 1611, when Donne was about to embark on a trip to France and Germany. It was first published in the 1633 collection Songs and Sonnets, two years after Donne's death.
This poem is written with an ABAB rhyme scheme in iambic tetrameter.
Unlike some of Donne’s other works that are more carnal in nature, such as the poem “The Flea” or the song “Go, and catch a falling star,” “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning” is centered on a spiritual love that transcends the physical. As a metaphysical poem, this work uses several conceits, a type of analogy that takes something physical and compares it to something spiritual or beyond physical.
As the poem begins, the narrator talks of virtuous men that pass away and “whisper their souls to go,” meaning they pass away without lamenting. The narrator is telling his love that their parting should be the same. They should not mourn or cry because it would profane their love to show it in this way.
He further confirms this by saying that earthquakes bring fear and commotion, but celestial movements, such as the procession of the equinox, are more innocent. The narrator is saying that he and his lover have a kind of celestial love. Therefore, their parting does not need to cause commotion, like an earthquake, or a movement between more physical lovers.
The narrator then says that lovers who are more physical could not stand to be absent from each other because absence removes the very thing that they love about each other, which are their physical beings. However, since the narrator and his lover have a higher kind of love, they do not care as much that they will not be together physically.
The narrator states that their two souls are one. When they depart, they will not be separating, but expanding. He uses the conceit of gold (a metal that is beautiful and desirable) because gold is a malleable substance that can be stretched far apart while still staying together.
At the end, the poem famously uses the conceit
Conceit
In literature, a conceit is an extended metaphor with a complex logic that governs a poetic passage or entire poem. By juxtaposing, usurping and manipulating images and ideas in surprising ways, a conceit invites the reader into a more sophisticated understanding of an object of comparison...
of a drafting compass
Compass (drafting)
A compass or pair of compasses is a technical drawing instrument that can be used for inscribing circles or arcs. As dividers, they can also be used as a tool to measure distances, in particular on maps...
to describe the strength of their spiritual love. Donne writes:
The narrator is saying that his lover is the fixed foot of the compass and that he is the other foot. Even when one foot moves away from the other, the fixed foot will stay in one spot but lean in the direction of the other foot. This is saying that his lover will still “hearken after” him as he travels away and will still be there when he comes back. Finally, the narrator says that he must go, like the other foot of the compass. However, the firmness of his lover is what makes him return to her.
External links
- The poem with notes, from The Norton Anthology of Poetry