Surprisingly, this poem, which is a love poem, opens with the idea of the death of virtuous men who "pass mildly away". Virtuous men quietly make the transition from this world to the next. Because their friends left on earth know that the deceased lived a virtuous life, there is some sadness, but the friends know that the dead are now in a better place. The death, although sad, was also very peaceful. Donne equates this scene with the farewell of lovers. He believes that like death, parting is a sorrowful time, but is should be peaceful. There should not be a big emotional scene; rather, there should be a calm exchange of emotion.

This idea of a peaceful goodbye is further seen in th

Donne's use of metaphors in his poetry greatly enhances the meaning and allows for greater understanding of his poetry. His use of metaphors in this poem is important in the overall meaning of the poem and allows the reader to visualize this intangible concept of love and good-byes. Metaphors are an effective aid for helping people understand what he is trying to say. Without them, his poetry would suffer and become stale and boring. However, by using metaphors, his poetry remains interesting and stimulating.

In the third stanza, another metaphor is seen that helps show how to say goodbye. It involves the movement of the earth and celestial bodies. The first two lines of the stanza discuss how man fears earthquakes. Earthquakes cause the whole earth to shake. This is a strange phenomenon, which does not occur that often and, as a result, bring fear to mankind. This represents the type of goodbye that is very emotional and noticeable, the opposite of what Donne wants. Instead, good-byes should be like the movement of planets. For example, "the trepidation of the spheres,/ Though greater far, is innocent." These two lines state that the movement of celestial bodies is far greater than the trembling of the earth. However, while this is a much greater motion. It remains unnoticed and innocent. Through this metaphor, Donne is saying that the greater love does not have to mean that there should be a big emotional scene. Instead, the goodbye in a relationship of true love should be quiet and not too noticeable.

In the seventh stanza, another important metaphor about separatio

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Approximate Word count = 1078
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)