Literary Criticism

Literary Criticism and A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning by John Donne

As virtuous men pass mildly away,

   And whisper to their souls to go,

Whilst some of their sad friends do say

   The breath goes now, 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

Absence, because it doth remove

   Those things which elemented it.

But we by a love so much refined,

   That our selves know not what it is,

Inter-assured 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 airy thinness beat.

If they be two, they are two so

   As stiff twin compasses are two;

Thy soul, the fixed foot, makes no show

   To move, but doth, if the other do.

And though it in the center 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

By: Akshara George, Rafia Sethi, Abrielle Noronha, Mahnoor Khan, Masooma Hussain

       John Donne’s poem, “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning” is a declaration of his love for his wife, Ann Moore. The poem was written as Donne was departing for one his frequent trips away from home. It demonstrates how their love does not have physical bounds so the distance away from each other should not affect them. Donne uses metaphysical poetry, which is a form of poetry which uses bold and witty imagery and is often quite philosophical.  He describes his sorrow using “intellectual” imagery such as of molten gold by saying “So let us melt and make no noise.” When Donne secretly married the niece of his employer he destroyed his career. He struggled in poverty. The backstory is significant to this poem as it describes the kind of love he had for his wife. He sacrifices his comfortable life just to be with her. Throughout this poem, john Donne has built an argument on why the lovers shouldn’t be saddened at the thought of their separation.  The poem is confusing, in the way that the reader may not comprehend the meaning at first, but as one pieces the images together you truly understand the intelligence of John Donne as a metaphysical poet.

    I agree with the literary criticism that was written by Jennifer Bussey. I agree with what she says in the essay because when you read the poem you realize that the Donne will truly miss his wife, and although they are not going to be together their love is strong and has no boundaries. Donne had written the poem for his wife, he had also given up everything he had just for her, this proves that the love he has for her is deep. In her essay Bussey states that “Although the separation will only be temporary, it is potentially emotional scene” I agree with what she says here because although the lovers are separating for a short period of time, for them it feels like they are not going to see each other in years. Bussey also refers to the imagery used in the poem to be seen “in everyday life”. A metaphysical poet is a poet who is very abstract. Donne uses love in a way that compares it to our everyday life. Throughout the poem Donne tells lovers not to be saddened or worried when they are to separate from each other, no matter how far they are.