John Donne, a 17th-century writer, politician, lawyer, and priest, wrote "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning" on the occasion of parting from his wife, Anne More Donne, in 1611. Donne was going on a diplomatic mission to France, leaving his wife behind in England. A "valediction" is a farewell speech. This poem cautions against grief about separation, and affirms the special, particular love the speaker and his lover share. Like most of Donne's poems, it was not published until after his death.
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The Full Text of “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning”
1As virtuous men pass mildly away,
2 And whisper to their souls to go,
3Whilst some of their sad friends do say
4 The breath goes now, and some say, No:
5So let us melt, and make no noise,
6 No tear-floods, nor sigh-tempests move;
7'Twere profanation of our joys
8 To tell the laity our love.
9Moving of th' earth brings harms and fears,
10 Men reckon what it did, and meant;
11But trepidation of the spheres,
12 Though greater far, is innocent.
13Dull sublunary lovers' love
14 (Whose soul is sense) cannot admit
15Absence, because it doth remove
16 Those things which elemented it.
17But we by a love so much refined,
18 That our selves know not what it is,
19Inter-assured of the mind,
20 Care less, eyes, lips, and hands to miss.
21Our two souls therefore, which are one,
22 Though I must go, endure not yet
23A breach, but an expansion,
24 Like gold to airy thinness beat.
25If they be two, they are two so
26 As stiff twin compasses are two;
27Thy soul, the fixed foot, makes no show
28 To move, but doth, if the other do.
29And though it in the center sit,
30 Yet when the other far doth roam,
31It leans and hearkens after it,
32 And grows erect, as that comes home.
33Such wilt thou be to me, who must,
34 Like th' other foot, obliquely run;
35Thy firmness makes my circle just,
36 And makes me end where I begun.
The Full Text of “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning”
1As virtuous men pass mildly away,
2 And whisper to their souls to go,
3Whilst some of their sad friends do say
4 The breath goes now, and some say, No:
5So let us melt, and make no noise,
6 No tear-floods, nor sigh-tempests move;
7'Twere profanation of our joys
8 To tell the laity our love.
9Moving of th' earth brings harms and fears,
10 Men reckon what it did, and meant;
11But trepidation of the spheres,
12 Though greater far, is innocent.
13Dull sublunary lovers' love
14 (Whose soul is sense) cannot admit
15Absence, because it doth remove
16 Those things which elemented it.
17But we by a love so much refined,
18 That our selves know not what it is,
19Inter-assured of the mind,
20 Care less, eyes, lips, and hands to miss.
21Our two souls therefore, which are one,
22 Though I must go, endure not yet
23A breach, but an expansion,
24 Like gold to airy thinness beat.
25If they be two, they are two so
26 As stiff twin compasses are two;
27Thy soul, the fixed foot, makes no show
28 To move, but doth, if the other do.
29And though it in the center sit,
30 Yet when the other far doth roam,
31It leans and hearkens after it,
32 And grows erect, as that comes home.
33Such wilt thou be to me, who must,
34 Like th' other foot, obliquely run;
35Thy firmness makes my circle just,
36 And makes me end where I begun.
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“A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning” Summary
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“A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning” Themes
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Love and Distance
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Physical Love vs. Spiritual Love
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning”
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Lines 1-4
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: -
Lines 5-8
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. -
Lines 9-12
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. -
Lines 13-16
Dull sublunary lovers' love
(Whose soul is sense) cannot admit
Absence, because it doth remove
Those things which elemented it. -
Lines 17-20
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. -
Lines 21-24
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. -
Lines 25-28
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. -
Lines 29-32
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. -
Lines 33-36
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.
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“A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning” Symbols
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Spheres and circles
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“A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Simile
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Conceit
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Hyperbole
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Alliteration
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Enjambment
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Diacope
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Apostrophe
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Personification
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Metaphor
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Paradox
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“A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning” Vocabulary
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
- Tear-floods
- Sigh-tempests
- Profanation
- Laity
- Trepidation
- Spheres
- Sublunary
- Elemented
- Refined
- Inter-assured
- Breach
- Compasses
- Hearkens
- Obliquely
- Just
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning”
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Form
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Meter
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Rhyme Scheme
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“A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning” Speaker
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“A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning” Setting
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Literary and Historical Context of “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning”
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More “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning” Resources
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External Resources
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John Donne's Biography — A detailed overview of Donne's life and work, provided by the Poetry Foundation.
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A Brief Guide to Metaphysical Poets — A short overview and explanation of Metaphysical Poetry, provided by the Academy of American Poets.
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Ptolemaic Astronomy — A more in-depth explanation of the Ptolemaic model of the cosmos, by M.S. Mahoney.
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Listen to "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning" — Audio and text of the poem, provided by the Poetry Foundation.
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The Reformation — A brief overview of the Protestant Reformation and its effect on Europe leading up to Donne's day.
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The Enlightenment — An overview of the Enlightenment period in Europe, following the Baroque era in which Donne and his contemporaries wrote.
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LitCharts on Other Poems by John Donne
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