A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning

Likely the most notable symbol in “A Valediction: Forbidden Mourning” is that of the “twin compasses” (line 26). While mathematical equipment is not rife with abject passion, the way Donne employs the symbolism is unique but effective. A compass has two legs extending from a singular fixed point. Like the speaker and his love in “A Valediction,” both are separate entities but need one another to be whole and perform to the best of their capability. The speaker notes that he and his partner, like the legs of a compass, are actually distinctive; however, through the use of the compass symbol, the speaker redefines what he believes “two” (Lines 25 and 26) to actually mean. The “fix’d foot” (Line 27) of the compass is the speaker’s beloved, who must stay in one place while the speaker goes elsewhere.

Much of Donne’s poetry contains reference to some form of spheres. Often, these spheres are presented take the form of planetary bodies. As an emblem of both the celestial and planetary bodies, these spheres may stand in as larger mechanisms to further a poem’s argument. Through metaphorical leaps and the use of the metaphysical