A Valediction:

Forbidding Mourning
John Donne

‘A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning’ by John Donne is

an incredibly famous poem. In it, Donne uses one of
his famous conceits to depict the steadfast nature of
his love.

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John Donne
Nationality: English

John Donne is one of the most important English poets

of his time.

He was the best of the metaphysical poets and is

remembered for his skill with conceits.

This poem was written for Donne’s wife Anne in either

1611 or 1612. It was penned before he left on a trip to
Europe. It was not published until after his death,
appearing in the collection Songs and Sonnets. ”A
Valediction: Forbidding Mourning’ is divided into sets of
four lines, or quatrains.

Donne has also structured this piece with a consistent

pattern of rhyme, following the scheme of abab. In
regards to meter, Donne chose to use iambic
tetrameter. This means that each line contains four sets
of two beats. Generally, the first of these is unstressed
and the second stressed.

There are a few moments though where this reverses

and instead, the first syllable is stressed (trochaic
tetrameter). One of these moments is in the first line of
the third stanza with the word “Moving.” The reversal
of the rhythmic pattern here is a surprise, just as is the
“Moving of th’ earth” which is being described.

A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning

John Donne

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:

So let us melt, and make no noise,

No tear-floods, nor sigh-tempests move;
'Twere profanation of our joys
To tell the laity our love.

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.

Dull sublunary lovers' love

(Whose soul is sense) cannot admit
Absence, because it doth remove
Those things which elemented it.

But we by a love so much refined,

That our selves know not what it is,
Inter-assured of the mind,
Care less, eyes, lips, and hands to miss.

Our two souls therefore, which are one,

Though I must go, endure not yet
A breach, but an expansion,
Like gold to airy thinness beat.

If they be two, they are two so

As stiff twin compasses are two;
Thy soul, the fixed foot, makes no show
To move, but doth, if the other do.

And though it in the center sit,

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

Such wilt thou be to me, who must,

Like th' other foot, obliquely run;
Thy firmness makes my circle just,
And makes me end where I begun.

Explore A Valediction: Forbidding

Mourning
1 Summary

2 Themes

3 Images and Conceits

4 Analysis of A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning

Summary

‘A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning’ by John

Donne describes the spiritual and transcendent
love that Donne and his wife Anne shared.

The poem begins with the speaker describing the death

of a virtuous man. He goes to the afterlife peacefully,
so much so that his friends are not sure if he is dead
or not. Donne compares this kind of peaceful parting to
the way he and his wife will separate. Rather than
throwing an emotional fit, as a shallow couple would,
they “melt” from one another.

In a similar metaphor, Donne also compares their love

to the movement of the “celestial spheres.” Even
though these moments are invisible to those on earth,
they are much more powerful than the highly visible
“Moving of th’ earth.” The next analogy shows how
their parting would be an “expansion” rather than a
“breach.” Their love will stretch, like gold leaf pounded
thin.

The poem concludes with the well-known conceit

comparing love to a drafting compass. Donne states
that his wife is the leg that holds them steady, fixed
point while he “roam[s].” It is due to her steadfastness
that he always finds his way back.

Themes
As was common within Donne’s poetry, there are
pervading themes of death, the celebration of love and
spirituality in this text. In regards to love, Donne spent
the majority of the text trying to define what his love is
like. Donne utilizes a number of images and analogies,
which will be discussed later in this analysis, that
accomplishes this. By the time the speaker gets to the
end, he has come to the conclusion that no matter
where he is, their love will live on.

The theme of spirituality is intimately connected with

that of love. Donne’s speaker, who is certainly Donne
himself, declares the love he shares with his partner to
be spiritual in nature. It goes beyond that which
ordinary people experience. This means it can
overcome any mundane barrier life throws at it.

The first lines of the text bring up death. He describes

a group of friends who are gathered around the death
bed of a “virtuous” man. They are discussing amongst
themselves when this person is going to die, and which
breath might be his last. By utilizing death to later
speak on life, Donne is tapping into the tradition of
Carpe Diem poetry. These types of poems promote a
way of living that keeps in mind the ever-present
prospect of death.

Images and Conceits

One of the most important and recognizable images
associated with ‘A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning’ is
that of a compass. It appears towards the end of the
text, in line 26. It is important because it symbolizes
the strength of their relationship, but also the balance
that exists between the speaker and his wife.

Donne describes the compass as being “stiff” with a

“fixed foot,” this is his wife’s part of the metaphor. She
remains stationary while her husband, the speaker,
“roam[s]” around. It is due to her steadfastness that he
always finds his way back home. The speaker clearly
sees this conceit, or comparison between two very
unlike things, as a romantic. One should take note of
the fact that the speaker’s loyalty to his wife seems to
hinge on her placidity. If she were to “roam” the entire
balance would be thrown off.

Another image that is important to the text appears

throughout the first half of the poem, that of natural,
disastrous weather patterns. The first time one of these
disasters is made clear is in the fifth line with the
mention of a “flood” and a “tempest,” or a powerful
storm. In this instance, the weather is being used to
show the exaggerated emotions of lesser love. The
couple he is imagining cries and sighs outrageously as
if hoping someone will take note of their passion.

Analysis of A Valediction: Forbidding

Mourning
Stanza One

“ 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:

In the first stanza of ‘A Valediction: Forbidding

Mourning’, the speaker begins with an image of death.
He is speaking on the death of a man who is
“virtuous.” Due to his good nature, his death comes
peacefully. Donne compares dying in this instance to
“whisper[ing]” one’s soul away. There is nothing
traumatic about it. “Whisper” is a perfect example of
onomatopoeia. The word sounds or resembles the
noise it represents.

The dying man is not alone. There are “sad friends”

around his bed who are unable to decide whether or
not the man is dead. His final moments are so peaceful
that there is no sign to tell the onlookers the end has
come. They speak to one another asking if “The breath
goes now” or not.

Stanza Two

“ So let us melt, and make no noise,

No tear-floods, nor sigh-tempests move;

‘Twere profanation of our joys

To tell the laity our love.

The second stanza might come as something of a

surprise to readers unused to Donne’s complicated use
of conceit. Rather than explaining what the first stanza
was all about, it adds additional information. The
speaker is comparing the peaceful death of a virtuous
man to the love he shares with the intended listener.
When they separate they do so without the “tear-
floods” and “sigh-tempests” of the shallow. Donne’s
speaker sees the way other partners are around one
another and knows his relationship is better.

He and his partner would never be so crass as to

expose their emotions to the “laity” or common people.
It is something they keep to themselves. He states that
it would be a “profanation,” or disgrace to their “joy” to
expose it. They will “make no noise” and remain on
the high ground above those involved in lesser loves.

Stanza Three

“ 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.

The third stanza introduces another image of natural

disaster, the “Moving of th’ earth” or an earthquake. It
is something unexpected and unexplained.
Earthquakes also bring along “harms and fears.”
These lines have been added to emphasize the
absurdity of making a big deal over the speaker’s
departure.

The next two lines of ‘A Valediction: Forbidding

Mourning’ are a bit more obscure. They refer to the
celestial spheres, or concentric circles, in which the
moon, stars, and planets moved. Although they are
sectioned off, they still shake and vibrate in reaction to
other events. Here the speaker is describing their
“trepidation,” or shaking. It is a greater shaking than
that which an earthquake is able to inflict but it is
unseen, innocent. This is another metaphor for how the
speaker sees his relationship. It is not the showy
earthquake but the much more powerful shaking of the
celestial spheres.

Stanza Four

“ Dull sublunary lovers’ love

(Whose soul is sense) cannot admit

Absence, because it doth remove

Those things which elemented it.

The speaker returns to describing the lesser love of

others in the fifth stanza. It is “Dull” and it is
“sublunary,” meaning it exists under the moon rather
than in the sky. Those who participate in these
relationships are driven by their senses. The “soul” of
the relationship is based on what one’s senses can
determine. Physical presence is of the utmost
importance to these loves. They “cannot admit /
Absence” because it “doth remove” the entire
relationship. Everything shallow lovers have with one
another is based on touch and sight.

Stanza Five

“ But we by a love so much refined,

That our selves know not what it is,

Inter-assured of the mind,

Care less, eyes, lips, and hands to miss.

The fifth stanza of ‘A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning’

provides a contrast to the fourth. He returns to his own
relationship and speaks of himself and his wife as
“we.” They have a “refined” or well-tuned and
highbrow relationship. Their love is so beyond the
physical world that they, physical beings, have trouble
understanding it. They “know not what it is.”

The next two lines reiterate the fact that the love the
speaker and his wife have is spiritual. It is more mental
than it is physical. This means they are “Inter-assured
of the mind” and do not care for the “eyes, lips, and
hands.” When they part these are not the elements
they will miss about one another.

Stanza Six

“ Our two souls therefore, which are one,

Though I must go, endure not yet

A breach, but an expansion,

Like gold to airy thinness beat.

The sixth stanza begins with a fairly straightforward

and recognizable declaration about marriage. They
might have two separate souls but now they act as
“one.” It is due to this fact that when they part, they
will not “endure” a “breach, but an expansion.” Their
love will stretch as gold does when it is beaten thin. It
is the same, even when pushed to the limit.

It is also important to take note of the fact that Donne

chose to use gold as a representative of their love. He
recognizes the elements of his relationship in its
durability and beauty.

Stanza Seven

“ If they be two, they are two so

As stiff twin compasses are two;

Thy soul, the fixed foot, makes no show

To move, but doth, if the other do.

It is at this point in ‘A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning’

that the image of the compass, as discussed in the
introduction, becomes important. First, Donne goes
back on his previous statement about their “oneness.”
He knows there might be some doubt of their “inter-
assured” relationship so he makes this concession. “If
they,” meaning himself and his wife, are “two” then
they are the two legs of a compass.

Donne speaks of his wife as being the “fixed foot” of

the device. She has the steady “soul” that remains
grounded and never makes a “show / To move.” His
wife only moves if “the other do,” meaning himself.

Stanza Eight

“ And though it in the center sit,

Yet when the other far doth roam,

It leans and hearkens after it,

And grows erect, as that comes home.

In the eighth stanza of ‘A Valediction: Forbidding

Mourning’, the movement of the fixed foot is further
described. Initially, it is in the center of their world,
everything revolves around it. Then, if the other leg, the
one compared to Donne, decides to “roam” far into the
distance, it leans. This is the only movement that his
wife makes. When he needs her to she “hearkens”
after him then straightens up again, or “grows erect”
when he comes home or returns to the fixed point.

Stanza Nine

“ Such wilt thou be to me, who must,

Like th’ other foot, obliquely run;

Thy firmness makes my circle just,

And makes me end where I begun.

The final four lines describe the metaphor in full, just in

case any part of the compass analogy was in doubt.
The speaker is very much addressing his lines to his
wife. He tells her that she will be to him the line that
brings him back in. She has a “firmness” that makes
his “circle just,” or keeps it within a limited area. No
matter what he does or where he roams, she will
always get him back to where he began.

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Mourning

About Emma Baldwin

Emma graduated from East
Carolina University with a BA
in English, minor in Creative
Writing, BFA in Fine Art, and
BA in Art Histories. Literature is one of her
greatest passions which she pursues through
analyzing poetry on Poem Analysis.

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