The title of John Donne's poem is very fitting. "A Valediction" is used as a farewell speech. It is the commencement of life that Donne speaks of. Thinking of the end, I picture funerals and viewings. These are the things we use to say goodbye. These are the things we use to morn the loss of a loved one. The title goes on, "Forbidding Mourning." The title suggests that there is something sinister about "Mourning," something that can not be trusted. The title suggests that it may be only a fool who trusts in "Mourning."
             The first stanza is describes how easily, "virtuous men pass mildly away,." They are virtuous so they have no fear of death. They easily release their souls from their bodies. This is not easy for people close to them to accept. As Donne describes, "their sad friends..." he is describing the loss they feel. It is not easy to say goodbye to those we love.
             Donne goes on in the second stanza to tell explain that we shouldn't dwell on the loss, "So let us melt... No tear-floods..." He explains that we should be happy for the brother, he is not lost. Do not cry for his passing, he is now in a holier place. He continues to explain that to dwell on the loss as such would be a slap in the face to their beliefs in life after death. He sees religion as "our joys" and to not believe at such a time is blasphemy.
             In the third stanza he explains that men's concerns are strictly related to what they can see, "Moving of th' earth brings harms and fears... But trepidation of the spheres." The earthquakes and deaths we see on earth remind us of the unpredictability of the world that we live in. It is easy to see and feel loss in this world. The problem is that we do not see the big picture. The larger plan of the universe means nothing to mankind because it is beyond understanding.
             The word "sublunary" desc...