A valediction is a farewell. It is a speech often given at a funeral. John Donne was the dean of St. Paul's Cathedral in London for many years. He gave many valedictions in his days as the dean, unfortunately one of his valedictions may have been for his lost wife. Donne was very well educated and grew up surrounded by the church and the arts. These influences no doubt helped to shape his views on love and the passing of life.

Each stanza of "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning" is tied together by an " a - b - a - b" rhyme scheme. This is not surprising because of the calming effect expected of this poem. The steady back a

The 3rd stanza chastises man's tendency to make a big thing out something that happens everyday. Even though the death of a person is a big deal, its is still one life in a sea of other lives. Donne reminds the mourner that "the trepidation of the spheres" ( 11 ) is a far more violent and destructive event than the death of a loved one. The violent events attributed to causing the disruption of planetary orbits are viewed as minor when compared to man's pain. In reality, the trepidation of the spheres has a huge impact while one person's death does not.

Just because a person no longer breathes that does not mean the love no longer breaths. That love lives stronger in the heart than ever. Real love is never physical it reigns supreme in the hearts of those who share it. John Donne reminds the mourner of this to bring peace to them. The final four lines deliver a message of hope for anyone who has truly loved - " Such wilt thou to me, who must / Like th' other foot, obliquely run. / Thy firmness makes my circle just, / and makes me end where I begun."( 33 - 36 ).

What happens when it is the one you love most that is lying in the coffin? This is the topic of the next three stanzas. If you truly love the person than everything should be all right. Love is a very powerful thing and not even death can mute its song. Donne distinguishes between different types of love. "Dull sublunary lovers' love" ( 13 ) is temporary and will collapse when an obstacle is presented. Death can destroy this kind of love because "Absence, because it doth remove / Those things which elemented it" ( 15 - 16 ). This love is more of a lust based in the physical pleasures. When the body is gone, there is nothing left. There was no kind of supernatura

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Approximate Word count = 1183
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)