A Valediction Forbidding Mourning (John Donne)
A As virtuous men passé mildly away,
B And whisper to their soules, to goe,
A Whilst some of their sad friends doe say,
B The breath goes now, and some say, no:
D So let us melt, and make no noise,
C No teare-floods, nor sigh tempests move,
D T’were prophanation of our joyes
C To tell the layetie our love.
E Moving of th’earth brings harmes and feares,
F Men reckon what it did and meant,
E But trepidation of the spheares,*
F Though greater farre, is innocent.
G Dull sublunary lovers love
H (Whose soule is sense) cannot admit
G Absence, because it doth remove
H Those things which elemented it.
A As virtuous men passé mildly away,
B And whisper to their soules, to goe,
A Whilst some of their sad friends doe say,
B The breath goes now, and some say, no:
D So let us melt, and make no noise,
C No teare-floods, nor sigh tempests move,
D T’were prophanation of our joyes
C To tell the layetie our love.
E Moving of th’earth brings harmes and feares,
F Men reckon what it did and meant,
E But trepidation of the spheares,*
F Though greater farre, is innocent.
G Dull sublunary lovers love
H (Whose soule is sense) cannot admit
G Absence, because it doth remove
H Those things which elemented it.
I But we by a love, so much refin’d,
J That our selves know not what it is,
I Inter-assured of the mind,
J Care lesse, eyes, lips, and hands to misse.
K Our two soules therefore, which are one,
L Though I must goe, endure not yet
K A breach, but an expansion,
L Like gold to ayery thinnesse beate.
M If they be two, they are two so
N As stiffe twin compasses are two,
M They soule the fixt foot, makes no show
N To move, but doth, if the’other doe.
J That our selves know not what it is,
I Inter-assured of the mind,
J Care lesse, eyes, lips, and hands to misse.
K Our two soules therefore, which are one,
L Though I must goe, endure not yet
K A breach, but an expansion,
L Like gold to ayery thinnesse beate.
M If they be two, they are two so
N As stiffe twin compasses are two,
M They soule the fixt foot, makes no show
N To move, but doth, if the’other doe.
O And though it in the center sit,
P Yet when the other far doth rome,
O It leanes, and hearkens after it,
P And growes erect, as that comes home.
Q Such wilt thou be to mee, who must
R Like th’other foot, obliquely runne;
Q Thy firmnes drawes my circle just,
R And makes me end, where I begunne.
“A Valediction Forbidding Mourning” – Comprehension Questions
1. Show how Donne considers his romance to be on a higher level than other people’s love affairs.
Donne consider’s his romance to be on a higher level than other people’s because he talks about how their love for each other is so strong separation from each other won’t hurt them.
2. Show 2 conceits and explain the significance of each.
“But we by a love, so much refin’d,” - He is talking about how their love is so much more advanced than anyone else’s.
“Our two soules therefore, which are one,”- because there love is so strong their two soles become one.
3. Show how Donne satirizes the more traditional type of romantic love poetry.
Donne Satirizes the more traditional poetry by talking about how he feels when he leaves his love, because most traditional poets are upset and mourning when they leave loved ones.
4. Do you think the poet’s love is sincere? Justify your opinion.
I didn’t think the poets love was sincere at times because he talks about how they can separate without tears and in a calm manner if you love someone and they are going away or if you are going away from them then you are sad and most of the time people will be upset when departing from a loved one.
5. What is the predominant metre of this poem? Are there any points when the poet deviates from this metre? Why?
The main metre of this poem is the love he has for his wife. Yes there are points when the poet deviates from the metre to mix up the writing and make the poem more interesting and intriguing.
P Yet when the other far doth rome,
O It leanes, and hearkens after it,
P And growes erect, as that comes home.
Q Such wilt thou be to mee, who must
R Like th’other foot, obliquely runne;
Q Thy firmnes drawes my circle just,
R And makes me end, where I begunne.
“A Valediction Forbidding Mourning” – Comprehension Questions
1. Show how Donne considers his romance to be on a higher level than other people’s love affairs.
Donne consider’s his romance to be on a higher level than other people’s because he talks about how their love for each other is so strong separation from each other won’t hurt them.
2. Show 2 conceits and explain the significance of each.
“But we by a love, so much refin’d,” - He is talking about how their love is so much more advanced than anyone else’s.
“Our two soules therefore, which are one,”- because there love is so strong their two soles become one.
3. Show how Donne satirizes the more traditional type of romantic love poetry.
Donne Satirizes the more traditional poetry by talking about how he feels when he leaves his love, because most traditional poets are upset and mourning when they leave loved ones.
4. Do you think the poet’s love is sincere? Justify your opinion.
I didn’t think the poets love was sincere at times because he talks about how they can separate without tears and in a calm manner if you love someone and they are going away or if you are going away from them then you are sad and most of the time people will be upset when departing from a loved one.
5. What is the predominant metre of this poem? Are there any points when the poet deviates from this metre? Why?
The main metre of this poem is the love he has for his wife. Yes there are points when the poet deviates from the metre to mix up the writing and make the poem more interesting and intriguing.
Summary:
Throughout the poem the poet talks about how people who have physical love separation and pure love for eachother is bad. And when there physical assets are lost there love is not true, but the love he has for his lover is better then the love other people have for eachother.
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