John Donnes’ “A Valediction: Forbidden Mourning” Essay

In the poem A Valediction Forbidding affliction, by John Donne, the vocaliser is consoling his whopr who is mournful of the vocalisers imminent departure. The speaker is saying that since they have stronger than ordinary love for one another, their love will endure the separation. Donne uses meta somatogenic conceits and comparative vision to illustrate the crux of the poem. The speaker is reassuring his lover by reminding her of how big(p) their love is it transcends the corporeal and thitherfore will overcome whatever restriction is set on their path. He is forbidding his lover to mourn his departure.In the first half of the poem the speaker contrasts their love between that of unearthly and material objects the inferior actions of the earth comp ared to those of the heavenly spheres (11). He is trying to arouse to his lover how their love is not of the ordinary kind it is more than mere(a) affection. He compares their love to that of pure favorable saying let us melt, and make no noise (5). Pure gold, when melted, does not spatter, it melts down smoothly. thus he is saying that if there love was gold it would make no noise for their love is that of the purest kind. The speaker then says that earthly things bring harm and fears (9) unless since their love is above earthly proceedss, they should consequently not be terror-struck of parting. The speaker feels that there should be no grieving and exaggerates his lovers anguish, telling her there should be no tear-floods, nor sigh-tempests (6).The narrator talks of dull sublunary loverswhose souls are sense (13/14) these lesser couples love is based upon the five senses. He is saying that love cannot be simply based upon these senses, which are purely physical. Love has to transcend the physical to be pure and their love does. The speakers tone then turns puffing by saying that they both know that their love is more than physical so they should be at ease. A physical separation is ensuing besid es not an emotional one their love will endure. He describes their deuce soulswhich are one (21).He says that their separation will not be a breach but an expansion (24) of their love their souls are join and cannot be separated by whatever forces shall come in their way. He continues to develop the image between their love and pure gold by saying that through this separation their souls will simply spread aside to aery thinness (24) but never separate (as does pure gold when flattened).Donne compares the couple to a geometrical compass, a metaphor which carries both epoch-making meanings. The first being the idea of a compass being two separate entities, two feet, which are attached but not eer together. He says that the compass is them, separate beings but still united as one, by their soul. One foot of the compass will stay as the other moves around and away, and the stationary foot hearkens after it (31) but is ineffectual join the other. The speaker is making the point that not matter how off the beaten track(predicate)thest one of them may travel they will always complete the circle and eventually return to the beginning. The compass also portrays their love as a circle. A circle is an image of perfection never ending and chronic for eternity as is their love. The speaker is saying that no matter how outlying(prenominal) apart they may travel they will always come backwards to one another. He may travel far but he will  draw his circle just, and end, where he began (36).The speaker described before how their love transcends the physical, it is deeper than bring up and arousal of the senses. In the final stanzas though, the speaker addresses all the factors of any anicteric relationship. The speaker says that his compass foot, as it draws nearer home, grows erect (32), an allusion to the cozy component of their relationship. Despite the awesome power of an emotionally based relationship there is still a strong a physical aspect. He mi sses her with his soul but also physically yearns for her.This poem is written to comfort a lover. Donne opens with comparative images of the physical and earthly, saying that the sentiment between the two lovers is more than earthly love. He then uses metaphysical conceits, comparisons of unrelated objectsthe physical and the spiritualto further emphasize his point. The two compasses, no matter how far apart they travel will always return to the other. If one is really in love then physical separation does not matter if anything it will only strengthen the union. The feelings between the speaker and his lover are greater than common love, therefore they can endure the separation the speakers departure should not be mourned.