Bussey holds a Master's degree in interdisciplinary studies and a Bachelor's degree in English literature. She is an independent writer specializing in literature. In the following essay, she provides an overview of imagery in Donne's poem, demonstrating how each image contributes to the poem's overall meaning. Donne's use of metaphysical conceit is explained and identified.

John Donne wrote "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning" in 1611 as he was preparing for one of his frequent journeys away from his wife, Ann. Donne's deep love for his wife is evident in the poem, which explains that the couple should not be sorrowful when they are apart from each other because their love binds them together, regardless of distance.

Donne and his young wife had been married for ten years at the time the poem was written. She was the niece of Donne's employer; when he eloped with her in 1601, he ruined...