“A VALEDICTION
FORBIDDING MOURNING”
John Donne
JOHN DONNE BIOGRAPHY
Was an English poet, satirist, lawyer, and priest
Lived most of his life in poverty, living off of wealthy friends
His works are noted for their strong, sensual style and for its vibrancy of language and inventiveness of metaphor
Secretly married his wife, Anne More Donne in 1601, with whom he had 12 children with
During and after his education, Donne spent much of his considerable inheritance on women, literature, pastimes and travel
His wedding ruined Donne's career and earned him a short stay in Fleet Prison
His wife died in 1617. He never remarried; this was quite unusual for the time, especially because he had a large family to bring up
Possibly died of stomach cancer
John Donne (1572-1631)
POEM BACKGROUND
In 1611, John Donne wrote “A Valediction:
Forbidding Mourning” to his wife, Anne More Donne
He wrote the poem so that while he was in France for government business, she would not be sad at his absence
TITLE
Before Reading: The word valediction means to say farewell, so the title’s more understandable meaning is, “When we part, we must not mourn.” The title then means that when you say goodbye to someone, you shouldn’t be sad
AS virtuous men pass mildly away, And whisper to their souls to go, Whilst some of their sad friends do say,
"Now his breath goes," 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 Of absence, 'cause it doth remove
The thing which elemented it.
But we by a love so much refined, That ourselves know not what it is,
Inter-assurèd 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 aery thinness beat.
If they be two, they are two so As stiff twin compasses are two ;
Thy soul, the fix'd foot, makes no show To move, but doth, if th' other do.
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.
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.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNvFPKujc5w
PA R A P H R A S E / T R A N S L AT I O N
Poem to his wife – he has to leave for a while because of his job
Telling her not to worry or mourn . Must accept separation in the same way that virtuous men accept dying and their souls leaving their body.
Even though the physical bond we have “melts”, we must not be overly upset. Doing that would say our love was only physical and like the love of ordinary people.
To be overly upset would say our love is based only off physical attraction like the love of others.
You and I are like the planets and the sun – movements and separations cause no fear or excitement
Those who unite themselves only through the senses and not through the soul are like
earthquakes that frighten people and cause questions of their reason and origin
Others cannot endure the separation – their love isn’t special like ours. Their love needs closeness to survive
Even though our bodies are separated our souls are one, so they are always together – like gold when hammered (separates and expands)
We are like two pointed legs of a compass – one leg (woman) stays fixed at one point and the other (man) moves in circles and arcs
Your in the center of my circle - the second leg (man) must always end up back in the center (with the woman)
RHYME SCHEME
The meter is iambic tetrameter, with eight syllables (four feet) per line. Each foot, or pair of syllables,
consists of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. The first two lines of the second stanza
demonstrate this metric pattern:
1 2 3 4 So LET | us MELT | and MAKE | no NOISE
1 2 3 4 No TEAR- | floods NOR | sigh- TEMP | ests MOVE
ATTITUDE/TONE
Point of View: First Person
Diction: Indicates acceptance, comforting language to console his wife.
• “So let us melt, and make no noise, no tear-floods, nor sigh-tempests move;”
• “Moving of th’ earth brings harms and fears…But trepidation of the spheres, though greater far, is innocent
• “Though I must go, endure not yet a breach, but an expansion, like gold to aery thinness beat.”
CONNOTATION
Conceit- Donne and wife > celestial bodies > the points of a compass -The wedding ring > the path of a planet > path of a compass
-The emotions of common people > earthquakes and tempests
Metaphor- multiple extended metaphors to convey message
-Separation from his wife to the separation of a man's soul from his body when he dies
(first stanza).
-They should not cry sentimental "tear-floods" or indulge in "sigh- tempests" (line 6) when they say farewell
-Compares himself and his wife to celestial spheres, such as the sun and others stars
-Relationship with his wife to that of the two legs of a drawing compass
CONNOTATION CONT.
Paradox- his and his wife's souls are one though they be two; therefore, their souls will always be together even though they are apart (sixth stanza)
Simile- the expansion of their souls to the expansion of beaten gold (sixth stanza)
Alliteration- Whilst some of their sad friends do say (line 3) -Dull sublunary lovers' love (line 13)
-(Whose soul is sense) cannot admit (line 14) -That our selves know not what it is, (line 18) -Our two souls therefore, which are one (line 21) -Thy soul, the fixed foot, makes no show
-Thy firmness makes my circle just, / And makes me end where I begun (lines 35- 36)
ATTITUDE/TONE CONT.
Details: Poem written to wife when Donne had to leave country for job
Images:
• Comparing the acceptance they must have to their separation – to virtuous men accepting death
• Their love – Planets and sun (“trepidations of heavenly spheres”)
• Love of others – Earthquakes (“Moving of th’ earth)
• Their love – Gold being hammered thin and expanding
• Separation and love – Compass legs
ATTITUDE/TONE CONT.
Language:
• Comforting, soothing, relaxing language – Not emotional, but does express feelings
Sentence Structure:
• Different lengths in stanzas show relaxed, informal structure
• Rhyme Scheme: has ABAB CDCD, yet also uses slant rhyme
THEMES
Real, complete love unites not only the bodies of two lovers, but also their souls.
- What Donne is trying to say is that spiritual love should be inspirational, bodiless, keeping lovers together mentally and spiritually, even though everyday life circumstances may keep them apart
TITLE
After Reading: The poem then explains that an over-sentimental show of emotion would devalue their love, reduce it to the level of the ordinary and dull. Their love, after all, is inspiring, heavenly.
Other lovers who know only physical, earthly love, are sad when they separate for a time, for they dread the loss of physical
closeness. But because Donne and his wife have a spiritual as well as a physical element to their love, they will never really be apart, he says. Their souls will remain united–even though their bodies are separated–until he returns to England.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Where are there shifts in the poem?
2. What was your first impression of the poem? Do you agree with Donne and his opinions of relationships?
3. What message is Donne trying to convey? Or is it just a poem meant for his wife?
4. Why do you think Donne uses so many metaphors to express his feelings for his wife?
