Textuality » 4A Interacting
The hyperbolic structure of the first two stanzas is again there in stanza three when parody is reinforced. Here the trepidation caused by one of the two lovers departure is compared to the shock created by an earthquake, which brings forth "arms and fears". Speaking about earthquakes, John Donne refers to disasters and natural calamities according to the mentality of the period, when they were considered punishments for crimes committed by the community or its leaders. On the contrary John Donne says that trepidation dues to distance between two lovers is "innocent". There follows the statement that "sublunary' s lovers love" that is the love of slow witted people, below the moon that is where corruption and change reign and the moon here marks, according to the mentality of the period, the mark, the boundary between the perfect and unchangeable of the higher fears, and the corruptible heart. Corruption and fragility, together with weakness is due to what Donne calls "soul sense". Therefore if one's love is only the product of senses it can't admit "absence". Indeed absence removes, take away "the word think" that nourish "element it". The second part of the song starts reaffirming the difference between Donne sublunary lovers and the poet and his lover. The idea John Donne has of his love is that not even he and his lady "know not" what it is like. They are both sure of the spiritual love that units them because they are inter assured in the mind. As a result, they are less interested in missing. The argumentation of the poet is expressed by the connector of the sixth stanza (therefore). John Dunne says that there souls and this is the way he speaks about their love which he considers one single thing "which are one" do not bear a breach because their distance is actually to be considered an expansion. To the purpose he uses the simile: "like gold to airtimes". The poet refers to the habit to beat gold so that it becomes thin, like hair. The poems ends with the celebrated image of compass.