John Donne: Valediction Forbidding Mourning

John Donne: Valediction Forbidding Mourning 

The basic theme of the poem is the union of lovers even when they are physically separated, and the poet piles up a number of arguments to prove the point, and thus persuades his beloved not to grieve at the time of his departure.  First, he points out that when virtuous people die, they do not mourn or grieve. Rather, they die gladly, for they know that death is a gateway to heaven. Similarly, true lovers like virtuous men, should welcome separation, for such separation does not mean a break in their love. Rather, it means an assertion of the spiritual nature of their love. Separation tests love and brings the souls of the lovers closer together. They should bid farewell to each other calmly as their love is spiritual, and to mourn and weep would be unnecessary.

  Thirdly, the poet likens their separation to the movement of the spheres. This movement is violent, more violent than that of the earth during an earthquake, and still it does not cause any injury or harm. Similarly, spiritual love is not affected by any movement or separation. It is only earthly physical love which breaks and cracks when there is separation.. It cannot endure the withdrawal of the physical self of the object of love, because it is based on physical beauty. But spiritual love is the love of the souls, and is not affected by the presence or absence of the beloved. The conceit of "gold to aery thinness beat" is then brought in to establish that true love does not break by separation, but undergoes an expansion and grows ethereal and refined like gold, when it is beaten. Spiritual love like gold is infinitely elastic and precious.

   The superiority of spiritual love is further established by bringing in the famous conceit of the compass. The lovers are joined together spiritually even when they are separated physically, just as the two legs of a compass are united at the top. The lover may go out for some time, but he is bound to return home, if the beloved is faithful and loyal to him, just as the moving foot of the compass returns to the centre after completing the circle.

Death Be Not Proud

Death Be Not Proud is addressed to death. Death is generally supposed to be "mighty and dreadful", but in reality it is neither "mighty" nor "dreadful'. Therefore, it should not be proud. Having stated his point of view, Donne gives argument after argument to prove it. Death is not dreadful, for those whom death is supposed to kill are not killed in reality. They do not die; they only sleep a long and peaceful sleep. Rest and sleep resemble death. As death brings rest, it cannot be regarded as dreadful in any way. Death is not "mighty" as well. It is not like a mighty king, but like a wretched slave. It is a slave of fate, chance, wicked and malicious persons, poison, wars and sickness. Death is not the cause, but the instrument. It obeys the orders of accidents, kings, wicked murderers, poison, war, old age and sickness. As a matter of fact, opium and similar drugs can bring better sleep and with a far gentler and painless effect.

There is no reason at all for death to be proud of its powers. Death can make us sleep only for a short while. After our short sleep in the grave, we will awake in the other world and live there eternally. Then death will have no power over us. Thus, in reality, death does not kill us; it is death itself which dies.