Name: ___________________________
Date: ___________
Block: ______
Metaphysical Poetry
“A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning” (1633)
John Donne
1
As virtuous men pass mildly away,
And whisper to their souls to go,
Whilst some of their sad friends do say,
"Now his breath goes," and some say, "No."
5
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.
10
15
20
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.
Helpful Information:
8 laity: persons without understanding
9 moving of th’ earth: an earthquake
11 trepidation of the spheres:
apparently irregular movements of
heavenly bodies
13 sublunary lovers’ love: the love of
early lovers, which, like all things
beneath the moon, is subject to change
and death
19 inter-assured of the mind: confident
of each other’s love
26 twin compasses: the two legs of a
compass used for drawing circles
34 obliquely: not in a straight line
35 firmness: constancy
Dull sublunary lovers' love
(Whose soul is sense) cannot admit
Of absence, 'cause it doth remove
The thing which elemented it.
But we by a love so much refined,
That ourselves know not what it is,
Inter-assurèd 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 aery thinness beat.
25
30
35
If they be two, they are two so
As stiff twin compasses are two;
Thy soul, the fix'd foot, makes no show
To move, but doth, if th' other do.
And though it in the centre 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.
“A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning” can be found on pages 452-453 in The Language of Literature: British Literature.
Poem Analysis: TP-FASTT Strategy
1. Title prediction: _________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
2. Paraphrase each stanza.
3. Annotate the poem’s figurative language in blue or green.
4. Attitude (tone) supported by the diction, figurative language, and imagery found in the
poem: _________________________________________________________________
5. Annotate the poem’s Shift(s) in pink or red (tone, theme, imagery, diction, etc.) and
consider why the poet may have constructed the poem to include this shift. (What does
the shift do for or add to the meaning of the poem as a whole?)
6. Title (readdress meaning): ________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
7. Theme: _______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
8. Annotate examples of paradox and metaphysical conceit in yellow.
Title
Paraphrase
Figurative
Language
Attitude
Shifts
Title
Theme
Ponder the title before reading the poem:
Before you even think about reading the poetry or trying to analyze it, speculate on what you think the
poem might be about based upon the title. Often time authors conceal meaning in the title and give
clues in the title. Jot down what you think this poem will be about.
Translate the poem into your own words:
Before you begin thinking about meaning or trying to analyze the poem, don't overlook the literal
meaning of the poem. One of the biggest problems that students often make in poetry analysis is
jumping to conclusions before understanding what is taking place in the poem. When you paraphrase a
poem, write in your own words exactly what happens in the poem. Look at the number of sentences in
the poem- your paraphrase should have exactly the same number.
Contemplate the poem for meaning beyond the literal: Address any and all poetic devices, focusing
on how such devices contribute to the meaning, the effect, or both of a poem. You should consider
imagery, figures of speech (simile, metaphor, personification, symbolism, irony, and allusions), diction,
and the effect of sound devices (alliteration, onomatopoeia, rhythm, and rhyme). It is not necessary that
you identify all the poetic devices within the poem. The ones you do identify would be seen as a way of
supporting the conclusions you are going to draw about the poem.
Observe both the speaker’s and the poet’s attitudes: Having examined the poem's devices and
clues closely, you are now ready to explore the multiple attitudes that may be present in the poem.
Examination of diction, images, and details suggests the speaker's attitude and contributes to
understanding.
Note shifts in speakers and in attitudes:
Rarely does a poem begin and end the poetic experience in the same place. As is true of most of us, the
poet's understanding if an experience is a gradual realization and the poem is a reflection of that
understanding or insight. Watch for the following keys to shifts:
 Key words (but, yet, however, although)
 Punctuation (dashes, periods, colons, ellipsis, caesura)
 Stanza divisions
 Changes in line and/or stanza length
 Irony
 Changes in sound that may indicate changes in meaning
 Changes in diction
Examine (reconsider) the title again, this time on an interpretive level:
What new insight does the title provide in understanding the poem?
Determine what the poet is saying:
First, list what the poem is about (subjects); then determine what the poet is saying about each of those
subjects (theme). Remember that the theme of any work of literature is stated in a complete sentence.
 What subjects does the poem address?
 What do you learn about those subjects?
 What idea does the poet what you to take away concerning these subjects?
 What is the poem saying about the human experience, motivation, or condition?