A+Valediction+Forbidding+Mourning

** A Valediction: forbidding Mourning ** 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, 5 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 ; 10 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 15 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. 20

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 25 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, 30 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, 35 And makes me end where I begun.  __Overview of the Poem__: In the poem ‘A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning’, the persona is bidding farewell to his lover and telling her that though they are parting, it shouldn’t be dramatic because that would be an insult to their love. Through the use of conceits and comparisons, he describes their love as spiritual, that which transcends physical barriers. Their souls are united and their love is heavenly, unlike the common, materialistic, earthly love. Mocks Elizabethan sentimentality. It has been suggested, by Isaac Walton, that this poem was written by Donne when he parted from his wife in 1611 for France, so he might be the persona himself. The poem was first published in 1633, two years after Donne's death, in a collection of his poems called //Songs and Sonnets//.

__Background__: - Metaphysical poet: metaphysical conceits which make the readers look at thing in an entirely different way, written for intellectuals, not for common people. Therefore, although the poem talks about abstract concepts of love and tenderness, it is highly intellectual. - Intellect or sentiment? – has used conceits, hyperboles to express his emotions -Written in the tradition of a conge d' amour (farewell poem when lover's part)

__Title – ‘A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning’__ - “valediction” comes from the Latin word ‘valedicere’, which means to say goodbye. - Thus the title indicates that the poem is going to be about bidding farewell to someone - The colon presents further information about the farewell – the persona is “forbidding” his lover from “mourning” – he wants her to be stoic, not dramatic about their parting - This seems slightly formal and is imperative – even though the poem is about concern and love, it is not a request or a plea, but more of an order.

(Comparison approach – different comparisons he uses to present his argument)

Lovers’ parting à Death - In the first two stanzas, Donna compares their parting to death – he compares their farewell to the final farewell in a person’s life (conceit) - Euphemises death – “pass mildly away” – some people accept the death of their loved one, while some are melodramatic and refuse to believe it - Links this idea to the second stanza using the word “So” - Similarly, they can be dramatic about their farewell by crying “tear-floods” and sighing till they cause a “tempest” or they can be sensible about it, and avoid this drama. He tells her that crying and wailing would be an abuse to their spiritual love as their souls are diffused and transcends their separation. - Here the tone is that of mockery as Donne mocks all those people who weep when they leave their loved ones. -<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> He uses religious imagery – “profanation”, “laity” – to emphasise the sanctity of their love. -<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> Ironic that he tells her not be dramatic, but he himself brings in elements of drama. The fact that he is comparing a simple farewell to something as grave as death makes the reader begin to appreciate the irony in the poem.

Conceit of different spheres -<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> Belief in the **Ptolemic universe** which stated that there were two spheres – earthly and heavenly -<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> Disharmony in the earthly sphere, i.e. earthquakes, brings about fear and panic in people’s minds, however, movement in the heavenly sphere brings about changes in seasons etc, and has a greater impact, but is more “innocent” and doesn’t bring about any such fear. -<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> People who share physical love, will experience panic when they are parting, like the confusion caused due to earthly movements. However, people who share spiritual love won’t be affected by separation because they know that parting is not such a bad thing, just as everyone known movements in the heavens is not a bad thing and has a deeper impact.

Analogy of Ptolemic view of world -<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> Ptolemy was a philosopher who believed that the earth was the centre of the universe – geocentric view of the world -<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> Sublunary – below the moon – earth – Christian belief that earth was affected by sin. However, the heavens remained pure -<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> Earthy love is purely sensual and lovers cannot bear to be parted because their love is based on physicality. -<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> However, spiritual love is more “refined”; it is free of the physical aspects and lovers have faith in each other. Their souls are “one” and separation won’t make their love weaker, but stronger. -<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> Paradox – talking about how spiritual their love is but still spends time describing the physical aspects of each other. In the last line of the fifth stanza, talks about eyes, lips and hands, with commas – signifies pauses – almost as if he in lingers at the thought of these parts of his lover’s body -<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> Irony – once again, he is being dramatic about their parting – “endure not yet” – like a burden his lover must endure

Similie – alchemy: Gold needs to be purified before it can be used – their love is refined of all impurities OR When gold is heated, it expands and melts (refer back to the melting in the second stanza). Similarly, when he is leaving her, their love is expanding and their souls are fusing to become one. -<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> Here the reader sees the use of scientific explanations to present the poet’s argument – metaphysical element. - malleability of their love to adapt to the circumstances like the malleability of molten gold

Conceit of compass -<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> Compares one leg of a compass to his lover, who stays in one place and the other to himself as he has to travel. -<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> As he travels, always encircling her, she will always be the fixed centre of his world. -<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> Just as one leg of the compass leans towards the other when the two are separated, even though they are parting, she will always lean towards him as they still love each other -<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> Compass makes a circle – concept of eternal love <span style="color: #ff0000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">Compass is also used to show an attempt to control an emotional situation using logic and reasoning through a mathematical instrument -<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> Even though he is travelling away from her, he will always come to her, just as one leg of the compass ultimately comes back to the other -<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> Sexual innuendos – “firmness”, “erect” – paradox – using sexual innuendos to describe spiritual love <span style="color: #ff0000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">-Makes a reference to scientific progress of his age (the compass had just been invented by Galileo) -Paradox- the persona is exhorting his mistress to be 'firm' in the last stanza when earlier he had said to 'melt away'. -Wordplay of 'firm': the fixed point of the compass, to be firm or stead fast in their love. In this way, superficially, it may seem that the poet is talking about how the love he shares with his lover is spiritual. However, a subtle, contrasting meaning is brought out by the use of his conceits and paradoxes. Throughout the poem, he talks about how they shouldn’t be dramatic about their separation. However, the comparisons he uses defy this as they are dramatic themselves. The fact that he has devoted a whole poem to this subject brings out the irony of the situation.

__Structure__: -<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> Rhyme scheme – alternate lines rhyme<span style="color: #ff0000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">-Organised in the form of quartrain (verse of four lines) -Fixed rhythm (iambic tetrameter). Unusual for Donne. -<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> Poem written in the form of an argument -<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> Every comparison he makes, first sets up the analogy, then compares it to his love <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Compare and contrast with other poems by Donne (to be filled in) The tone stays consistent through out the poem, which is unusual for a poem by Donne. Also, it is not as dramatic as some of his other poems.