A VALEDICTION: FORBIDDING MOURNING. By John Donne

From line 1 to 8

The title of the poem refers to an invitation not to cry and complain when something negative happens. The colon inside the title reinforces the invitation, such as the full stop that ends definitely the sentence and totally divides the title from the rest of the composition. The poem is arranged into nine verses, each one composed of four lines (quatrains). They present continuous alternate rhymes.

It starts with a simile introduced by the first word “as”: right from the first line, the writer refers to death. The first two lines are about “virtuous men” who die, and they have a dialogue with their souls; they whisper and can do that right because they own virtues. The other two lines of the first quatrain are about living people, “friends” who feel “sad” because of men’s death. There is a strong separation between death - afterlife and earthly life, both represented at the same moment. Dead virtuous men “whisper”, in contrast people on earth are sad and talk.

An other separation appears at line 4, between people’s words and reactions. Someone feels aware of death and merely accepts it. Somebody else does not accept death of whom they have been loved; the final word “No” is effective and symbolises people are insecure, they often feel lost when someone dear misses.

Line 4 is a clear reference to human fragility, because it remind people’s reactions up against negative events.

Every line ends with a comma and the 4th one presents the final word “No”, after a further comma, that looks separated from the whole quatrain. It conveys the idea of separation and suffering, and it is linked to physical separation between alive people and souls.

The alliteration of the sound “s” (line 3-4) communicates sense of sweetness and quiet: it makes the reading fluent.

At line 5 the writer uses the expression “us”, maybe referring to all human being. He invites people not to be desperate when someone misses, but they should leave them going away.

Donne says “melt” to indicate the act of dying: the verb suggests the idea of disappearing. In addition, who is alive shall not make noise, that is a suggestion not to complain aloud and cry.

At line 6 the writer invites to avoid crying and complaining by using two hyperboles referring to WEATHER. “Floods” and “tempests” can be created by sad people when they sigh and cry. When something very negative happens, human beings behave exaggeratedly sometimes: therefore, the exaggerations refer to people’s reactions. The metaphysical poet makes reference to “profanation” in order to explain that complaining shows people’s inner emotions: “joy” and “love” are considered as something personal, that shall not be shared with anybody. Even if you are pretty sad, you should not cry to show pain: it would be a “profanation” of something individual, almost sacred.

At line 7 and 8 there is the alteration of the sentence: ‘twere profanation of our joys / To tell the laity our love. It should be back to front: To tell the laity our love / ‘twere profanation of our joys.

Moreover, the opposition between the sacred and the profane is created by the words “profanation”, connected to the religious field, and “laity”.

Finally, the words “move” and “love” make an altered rhyme, since they do not rhyme properly.