“A VALEDICTION: FORBIDDING MOURNING”, HUMAN LOVE IN WORDS
The poem “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning” by John Donne is a complex poem, both in its use of wording and in the usage of figures of speech.[1] To best understand the structure of the poem as well as its meaning, paraphrasing is a helpful tool. It is then easier seen that the poem consists mainly of two parts, the first of which is made up of two parts as well, then followed by a transitional stanza that is, in turn, followed by the second part. Its meaning deals with complicated emotions by using intricate yet effective figures of speech. When these things become clear the poem’s liveliness and underlying sentimentality can be better appreciated.
The title of the poem starts with introducing a parting as its subject and narrows the subject down to the specific aspect of grief that can accompany a farewell. Moreover, by using words that are highly formal it sets the tone for the rest of the poem which is rational and even appears slightly distanced. This creates an overall atmosphere that emanates a feeling of accuracy, thus effectively supporting its goal: to forbid mourning.
The first two stanzas are connected by a comparison involving the separation of the two lovers and the passing away of “virtuous men”.[2] Here it is stated that the lovers should suffer this separation without much ado in much the same way as the “virtuous men”, who supposedly die in a resigned and quiet manner.[3] The last two lines of these stanzas claim that the sacredness of their love would be violated if they were to make a lot of noise proclaiming their feelings for one another in public, and, in doing so, acts as a precursor to the fifth stanza where it is said that the love of the lovers in the poem is more than “sublunary”.[4] Furthermore, the usage of words such as: “virtuous”, “profanation”, and “laity”, help in asserting the religious aspect of the feeling shared by the lovers.[5]
The third through fifth stanzas are similarly linked in that they further establish the dissimilarity in loves created in the first two stanzas. This is done by means of a metaphor where earthquakes are compared to trepidation of the spheres. The earthquakes are said to be destructive and portentous, whereas trepidation, though more vast and all–encompassing than earthquakes, “is innocent” and is, therefore, not to be feared.[6] Such is the difference between the love of the poem’s lovers when compared to “Dull sublunary” love; to it a breach is destructive, like the earthquakes.[7] The lovers’ love, however, can endure a breach since the love goes beyond the sphere of the moon, as does trepidation. The stanzas further on the idea that true love is godly as it is more “refined” than sublunar, or secular, love and therefore must be of a higher sphere.[8]
The sixth stanza proceeds with claiming that true love does not suffer a breach when the two lovers are separated but rather “an expansion” and compares this to leaf of gold.[9] Next to this, the stanza introduces a new concept, namely one which states that the lovers’ souls are one. The stanza acts as an effective means of starting on a new train of thought by linking it with the previous one, this way, the transition is made discreet and gradual.
The last three stanzas attempt to validate the oneness of the lovers’ souls by comparing them to the legs of a compass, two things that appear to operate separately but each is so intimately connected with the other that, in fact, they should be regarded as one. So, even though the persona has to leave, he is assured of the endurance of their relationship since their souls complement one another, this is illustrated clearly with: “Thy firmness makes my circle just”, it is the persona who has to perform a certain task but it is the support he gets from his lover that ensures the successful completion of that task.[10]
In short, the poem describes the way in which the fears that may surround a farewell between lovers can be dispelled. This only works, however, for a love that is true, not merely secular. Moreover, the poem states that, for a true love, any physical separation is merely an illusion, since the two souls involved are actually one and the same. The poem’s register and tone are formal, which makes it all the more convincing. In addition, the figures of speech used are effective since they manage to deal with emotional concepts in an intricate, yet straightforward manner.
03 May 00
[1] J. Donne, “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning”, in The Norton Anthology of English Literature, gen. ed. M. H. Abrams, 6th edn, New York and London, 1993, pp. 1093-4.
[2] Ibid., l.1.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid., l.13.
[5] Ibid., ll. 1, 7-8.
[6] Ibid., l.12.
[7] Ibid., l. 13.
[8] Ibid., l. 17.
[9] Ibid., l. 23.
[10] Ibid., l. 35.
