Cite the example of a conceit from Donne's poetry and explain it? ( MEG 101 ) ( STUDY OF JOHN DONNE )

One example of a conceit in Donne's poetry can be found in his poem "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning". The poem compares the love between the speaker and his beloved to a compass, with the beloved's soul as the fixed foot and the speaker's soul as the wandering foot. The conceit of the compass is developed through a sustained metaphor, with each stanza adding new layers to the comparison.

For example, in the first stanza, Donne writes:

"As virtuous men pass mildly away,

And whisper to their souls to go,

Whilst some of their sad friends do say,

The breath goes now, and some say, No:

So let us melt, and make no noise,

No tear-floods, nor sigh-tempests move;

'Twere profanation of our joys

To tell the laity our love."

Here, the speaker is urging his beloved not to mourn his departure, comparing their love to the departure of a virtuous man's soul from his body. The metaphorical language of "melt" and "no noise" is developed further in subsequent stanzas, with the comparison of the compass becoming increasingly complex and extended.