BY [JOHN DONNE](https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/john-donne) --- [side by side](https://www.litcharts.com/poetry/john-donne/a-valediction-forbidding-mourning) more than a sapiophile: A _sapiophile_ is one whose romantic attraction to others is primarily based on intelligence. --- 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.     --- [1a John Donne Master](1a%20John%20Donne%20Master.md) --- John Donne’s "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning" is a metaphysical poem written in 1611 or 1612, addressing the theme of separation between lovers[1][5]. The poem, consisting of nine quatrains with an ABAB rhyme scheme, was composed for Donne’s wife Anne before he embarked on a trip to Continental Europe[5]. The speaker in the poem urges his beloved not to mourn their temporary separation, comparing their parting to the peaceful death of virtuous men[3]. Donne employs various metaphors and conceits to illustrate the transcendent nature of their love: 1. **Virtuous Men’s Death**: The poem begins by likening their parting to the quiet passing of virtuous men, emphasizing the dignity and calmness with which they should approach their separation[1][3]. 2. **Celestial Spheres**: Donne compares their love to the movement of celestial bodies, suggesting that their connection is more profound and impactful than earthly phenomena like earthquakes[1]. 3. **Gold Beaten into Airy Thinness**: The poet describes their souls as connected like a sheet of beaten gold, expanding without breaking[2]. 4. **Twin Compasses**: In the poem’s most famous conceit, Donne likens the lovers to the two feet of a compass, with one fixed (the beloved) while the other (the speaker) moves away but ultimately returns to its starting point[6]. Throughout the poem, Donne emphasizes the spiritual and intellectual nature of their love, presenting it as superior to mere physical attraction[4]. He argues that their bond is so refined that they themselves cannot fully comprehend it, making public displays of grief inappropriate and unnecessary[1]. The poem’s central message is that true love transcends physical separation and should not be diminished by outward expressions of sorrow. Instead, Donne advocates for a quiet acceptance of their parting, confident in the strength and permanence of their spiritual connection[2][6]. Sources [1] A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning by John Donne - Poem Analysis <https://poemanalysis.com/john-donne/a-valediction-forbidding-mourning/> [2] A Valediction: Forbidding MourningPoem SummaryJohn Donne <https://www.literpretation.com/post/a-valediction-forbidding-mourning-poem-summary> [3] John Donne: Poems "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning" Summary … <https://www.gradesaver.com/donne-poems/study-guide/summary-a-valediction-forbidding-mourning> [4] Donne’s Poetry "A Valediction: forbidding Mourning … - SparkNotes <https://www.sparknotes.com/poetry/donne/section5/> [5] A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning - Wikipedia <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Valediction>:_Forbidding_Mourning [6] A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning Summary - eNotes.com <https://www.enotes.com/topics/valediction-forbidding-mourning>