A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning (Themes)

Themes

Death

Death, a theme not uncommon to Donne’s writing, is a significant theme in “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning.” In the poem’s opening stanza, Donne makes mention of “virtuous men pass[ing] mildly away.” He uses this notion of death as a metaphor for his impending departure on a journey that will take him away from his wife for an extended period of time.

Love

Known for his love poetry, it is not unusual that love is an integral theme to “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning.” After likening his departure to death, Donne reminds his wife that an out-pouring of sadness and emotion over his leaving would profane their love for one another. He uses the love of “dull sublunary lovers’ love,” or love that is decidedly ordinary and even immature, to contrast the “refined” love that Donne and his wife share. Their love goes beyond the physical; it is a spiritual love that transcends the material world and the limitations of their own bodies. Donne goes on to say that his love for his wife can only expand over distance, and that it is her love that will hearken his return to her.

Religious Faith

Piety is almost always present in the poetry of Donne, and “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning” is no exception. In likening his departure to the deaths of “virtuous men,” he is making reference to the fact that pious men who are secure in their faith do not fear death. Rather, they embrace it, because they know that eternal life awaits them, and they will be welcomed by the arm of their Lord. The “sad friends” that surround these dying men are upset at their loss, but they too are aware that this passing isn’t an entirely sad situation, as the men are going to a better place, heaven. Further, the mens’ security in their faith is also used as a metaphor for Donne’s security in his relationship with his beloved wife.

Science

Science is a theme that is prevalent throughout Donne’s valediction, whether it be present in references to mathematical tools, such as a drawing compass, which was invented by Galileo only two years earlier, or to a circle and its infinite, perfect qualities. Science, too, is present as he references the “moving of th’ earth,” and that such movements, i.e., earthquakes, strike fear into the hearts of men. He also uses science to the spheres, meaning the Ptolemaic spheres in which the celestial bodies moved. Science plays a role, too, as Donne mentions that his love will expand “like gold to airy thinness beat,” referencing both a precious metal and its physical properties.

Topics for Further Study

• Read William Butler Yeats’ “The Second Coming.” What would the speaker of Yeats’ poem say about the images that Donne uses?
• Compare the ideas expressed in this poem to those expressed in William Wordsworth’s “My Heart Leaps Up.” What do the two poems tell you about youth? About nature? Does the fact that they were published 175 years apart affect how you understand their meaning, or not?
• Do you agree with the ideas in the fourth stanza? Explain what you think of those who “cannot admit absence.”