A VALEDICTION: FORBIDDING MOURNING

By John DonneMichael FernandoMichelle GuzmanStephanie ParradoMelissa Simpson

As virtuous men pass mildly away,And whisper to their souls, to go,Whilst some of their sad friends do say,'The breath goes now,' and some say, 'No:‘ 4

So let us melt, and make no noise,No tear-floods, nor sigh-tempests move;'Twere profanation of our joysTo tell the laity our love. 8

Moving of th' earth brings harms and fears;Men reckon what it did, and meant;But trepidation of the spheres,Though greater far, is innocent. 12.

The key condition for a peaceful death was a "virtuous” life. Because they didn't have any regrets or guilt weighing them down..

Donne was so fascinated by death because he believed that was the point at which the body and soul parted ways. In this case, the dying man is able to whisper his soul out of his mortal body and on to heaven.

Donne contrasts earthly natural disasters with the bigger, grander motions of the heavenly bodies (planets, stars, moons). He was most likely influenced by his surroundings. He lived in an age of discovery, an age in which people were thinking and theorizing beyond their technology.

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Dull sublunary lovers' love (Whose soul is sense) cannot admitAbsence, because it doth removeThose things which elemented it. 16

But we by a love so much refin'd,That ourselves know not what it is,Inter-assured of the mind,Care less, eyes, lips, and hands to miss. 20

Our two souls therefore, which are one,Though I must go, endure not yetA breach, but an expansion,Like gold to airy thinness beat. 24

Even though in this case "elemented" means 'started' or 'sparked,' the word itself prepares us for the upcoming metaphor about gold.

]] Scientists worked endlessly to

purify their metals, trying to burn off any impurity. Donne is saying that his love is pure, that it isn't tainted with mere physical affection.

As it turns out, gold is a soft metal compared to others. It can be beaten into a fine foil so that just a little bit of pure gold will stretch a long way. Obviously, that's how Donne sees his love.

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If they be two, they are two soAs stiff twin compasses are two;Thy soul, the fix'd foot, makes no showTo move, but doth, if the' other do. 28

And though it in the centre sit,Yet when the other far doth roam,It leans, and hearkens after it,And grows erect, as that comes home. 32

Such wilt thou be to me, who mustLike th' other foot, obliquely run;Thy firmness makes my circle just,And makes me end, where I begun 36

First, compasses are firm or "stiff." They do their job and don't flinch. Second, they are two separate pieces that are permanently joined together to accomplish great things.

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Donne claims that his wife is like the center, "fix'd" foot of the compass that stays rooted while the other runs away. It remains right there, providing stability and certainty to the circle. He shifts back to himself and applies the symbol of the other foot to himself. That's the part of the compass that leaves and traces the circle. At every point, he emphasizes that his wife (the center foot) is what is responsible for everything turning out right

INTERESTING TITLE

Valediction (noun): farewell speech: a

statement, speech, or letter of farewell• John Donne bids farewell to his beloved.• Donne is straight to the point in saying this is a

valediction, or a separation. • The second half of the poem title is Donne giving

the reader clues into his deliberate efforts to go against the traditional goodbye.  

ANALYSIS OVERVIEW The poem is essentially a farewell letter to the speakers

beloved

In the first stanza, the image of a man on his deathbed

surrounded by his friends as they argue about whether

or not he has taken his final breath

By stanza two the metaphor is tied together to the entire

point of the poem, it explains how their parting should be

similar to the death of an elderly man, unnoticeable

without the drama of “tear-floods” or “sigh-tempests” and

how it would cheapen their love to announce the

separation

ANALYSIS OVERVIEW ( C O N T … )

Stanza three goes on to compare two types of love, the one he has with

his lover and another, more dramatic love by comparing an

earthquake to the movement of the universe. One is loud and not

very lasting where as the other is eternal and completely innocent

from the senses of others.

The fourth, fifth, and sixth segment finish up the previous metaphor by

stating that their love is more than just physical, it is mental and

can continue despite vast distances between them unlike shallow lovers

whose entire relationship is based on the 5 senses. Their souls are one,

which makes that type of bond hard to break, like how gold can be

stretched very thin and not break

ANALYSIS ( C O N T … F O R L A S T T I M E )

The seventh, eighth and ninth stanza continues a comparison of a

compass leg to his wife as he describes how although one is

fixed in the center, it leans towards the other, tall and strong

until he arrives again. It also relates back to the situation at hand,

how they have to be strong , soon enough he’ll be right back

where he belongs.

SYMBOLSDeath:

Donne compares the depart

from his loved one to death.

However, in this instance,

death is a peaceful and

welcome thing.. Even though

their parting will feel a little

like a death, their love is so

pure, powerful, and good

that they can endure it

gently, without any outward

sorrow.

Gold

Really, this is about the

leftover obsession from

medieval days with alchemy,

or the attempt to transform

other metals into gold.

Scientists (or pseudo-

scientists) made some of the

most important chemical

discoveries in their unending

quest to perform wizardry

that would make them rich. A

lot of the poetry of the time

(and a lot of Donne's poems)

deal with working with

precious metals.

Compass

Stanza seven introduces a

new metaphor, the

comparison of their love to a

compass. The two legs have

been joined together

permanently and without

one, they are both useless.

He furthers this example by

explain what he means in

terms of his wife, how one

will not move without the

other, showing she is

completely faithful and

supportive of him.

THEME

Love: Considering the poem was written for his wife,

Ann. The final argument is that real love is powerful,

unconquerable. Real love can't be defeated by distance and real

love doesn't fall apart at the thought of being apart.

Spirituality: In "A Valediction: Forbidding

Mourning," Donne contrasts love that is based on the body, with

a spiritual love that is able to transcend the flesh and is based on

the soul. Moreover, there is a separation of body, but not in sprit.

TONE

John Donne has a very sad and distant tone in the

beginning of the poem when comparing the death of

a body to the separation from lovers.

Donne's tone then changes mid-way to something

more serious when explaining his profound love.

-”Moving of the earth

brings harms and fears.”

“…dull sublunary lovers’

love”

“Care less, eyes, lips, and

hands to miss”

FAVORITE QUOTES

With this quote, Donne is comparing

the moving the earth to being as

dangerous and falling in love.

Donne is comparing love to the moon,

and expressing how all love is

physical and should not be detached.

Donne compares the type of lovers

whose love does not solely depend on

physical aspects. He believes this love

is more true.

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