This poem by John Donne is centered on a spiritual love that transcends the physical. As a metaphysical poem, this work uses several exaggerated comparisons in literature, a type of analogy that takes something physical and compares it to something spiritual or beyond physical. (Wikipedia contributors)
Starting from the title which means, when we part we must not mourn. This poem is for his beloved wife to comfort her while he was going on a business trip. He asks her not to mourn his departure and not to cry, by saying, “So let us melt, and make no noise, No tear-floods, nor sigh-tempests move; ’Twere profanation of our joys.
He tries to console her that if they become emotional like any other non-ordained person, who weeps bitterly showering tears, then it would be disrespectful, for their love, which would become ordinary, however, his love is heavenly.
He associates his love with heavenly bodies and states that their two soles are one, it is sacred as even though they will live separate they will be united spiritually. Their love can survive spiritually without physical closeness because their love is refined. Physical separation will expand their spiritual bond and he uses the imaginative idea of gold (a metal that is beautiful and desirable) because gold is a malleable substance that can be stretched far apart while still stay together. (Wikipedia contributors)
Donne in this lyric portrays a purely metaphysical theme. He dislikes mourning no matter whatever kind it is. To convince his feelings he has used a number of figures of speech like similes, metaphors, paradox, alliterations. He talks about virtuous men who, are loved by God, accept the departure of the soul from the body. Actually Donne himself is trying to accept the situation of departing from his wife who he loves dearly; trying to protect their love from becoming like the love of any ordinary person, however, in the lyric his love is sacred.
He is talking about the disasters caused by earthquakes that the trembling of the spheres is natural and brings harm and fear, but celestial movements, such as the procession of the equinox, are more innocent. (Wikipedia contributors) Donne writes:
“Moving of th’ earth brings harms and fears; But trepidation of the spheres, Though greater far, is innocent.
The physical separation is the disaster whereas spiritual bonding would not be harmed, that is, a change in the situation would not effect in eternal life. The metaphor and comparison with the heavenly bodies shows the intensity and purity of their love which is solely through the soul.
Finally, the metaphor of the compass is amazing though it sounds weird but it brings out the deep relationship between him and his wife, where the wife is the fixed leg of the compass and he the moving one and the point where they are connected is their soul which keeps them in contact. That is they will always be together spiritually even if they are separated physically for some time. He further continues that though, they are separated and move around apart from each other to do their tasks, they will still be joined from the center. The center moves and inclines, along with the fixed foot, over to wherever the moving foot goes, but then comes back to its position when it returns. Through this comparison with the compasses he is telling his wife that though they will be separated physically their souls will still be together and once he comes back from his trip they will be together again. He further compares that due to the fixed foot of compass the other one is able to make a proper circle by ending from where it began. Donne writes:
“Thy firmness makes my circle just, And makes me end where I begun”. So telling his wife that it is her firm attitude that gives him courage to face the situation and return back to her.
In the end the poet is trying to convince the partner to stand firm and help him but
I think that the poet is feeling insecure when leaving his wife alone because he is giving all the comparisons while the wife is firm and relaxed as she understands that he has to go, and her firmness towards his leaving is making him come back to her.
Works Cited
Wikipedia contributors. "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 14 Mar. 2012. Web. 29 Mar. 2012.
John Donne. “A Valediction Forbidding Mourning.” Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. Kennedy, X.J and Dana Gioia. 11th ed. Pearson: Longman, 2009. 1038.
