Sir, more than kisses, letters mingle souls: / For thus, friends absent speak.
-- John Donne (Lines 1-2)

Importance: These are the opening lines of the verse letter, and they acknowledge the friendship between Donne and his audience, Sir Henry Wotton. They also playfully comment on Donne's other writing, which tended to focus on the union of souls through physical intimacy. Here, Donne tells Wotton that letter-writing is superior to kisses for the miraculous way it allows two friends to speak without being near one another.

Life is a voyage, and in our life's ways, / Countries, courts, towns are rocks or remoras.
-- John Donne (Lines 7-8)

Importance: In the first metaphor of the poem, Donne compares life to a sea voyage or journey. While this expression is common and still used to today, Donne complicates the reader's expectations by asserting that countries, cities, and the court are all hindrances to a safe and happy life. He compares these dwellings to rocks – which...