--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As virtuous men pass mildly away, And…" description: "\"“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,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76b/john-donne-933_friendship_as-virtuous-men-pass-mildly-away-and-whi_627916.png" --- # As virtuous men pass mildly away, And whisper to their… ![“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. Moving of…” quote by John Donne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76b/john-donne-933_friendship_as-virtuous-men-pass-mildly-away-and-whi_627916.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76b/john-donne-933_friendship_as-virtuous-men-pass-mildly-away-and-whi_627916.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76b/john-donne-933_friendship_as-virtuous-men-pass-mildly-away-and-whi_627916.png) > ““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. Moving of the earth brings harms and fears, Men reckon what it did and meant; But trepidation of the spheres, Though greater far, is innocent. Dull sublunary lovers' love (Whose soul is sense) cannot admit Absence, because it doth remove Those things which elemented it. But we, by a love so much refined That our selves know not what it is, Inter-assured of the mind, Care less, eyes, lips, and hands to miss. Our two souls therefore, which are one, Though I must go, endure not yet A breach, but an expansion. Like gold to airy thinness beat. If they be two, they are two so As stiff twin compasses are two: Thy soul, the fixed foot, makes no show To move, but doth, if the other do; And though it in the center sit, Yet when the other far doth roam, It leans, and hearkens after it, And grows erect, as that comes home. Such wilt thou be to me, who must, Like the other foot, obliquely run; Thy firmness makes my circle just, And makes me end where I begun.”” [John Donne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-donne/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The poem reflects on death as a gentle separation of souls, suggesting love endures beyond physical loss, and that the soul’s bond expands rather than breaks. **In simple terms:** Death separates but love expands beyond the body. Key Takeaway Embrace love’s enduring connection beyond physical loss. Themes love death spirituality union transcendence Mood reflective melancholic hopeful Type poetic philosophical spiritual When to use this quote - grieving a loss - comforting a dying friend - contemplating mortality - writing poetry about love - philosophical discussion on soul Key Concepts Platonic love metaphysics dualism Questions to Reflect On - How can we feel the presence of a departed loved one? - In what ways does love transform after loss? 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Moving of the earth brings harms and fears, Men reckon what it did and meant; But trepidation of the spheres, Though greater far, is innocent. Dull sublunary lovers' love (Whose soul is sense) cannot admit Absence, because it doth remove Those things which elemented it. But we, by a love so much refined That our selves know not what it is, Inter-assured of the mind, Care less, eyes, lips, and hands to miss. Our two souls therefore, which are one, Though I must go, endure not yet A breach, but an expansion. Like gold to airy thinness beat. If they be two, they are two so As stiff twin compasses are two: Thy soul, the fixed foot, makes no show To move, but doth, if the other do; And though it in the center sit, Yet when the other far doth roam, It leans, and hearkens after it, And grows erect, as that comes home. Such wilt thou be to me, who must, Like the other foot, obliquely run; Thy firmness makes my circle just, And makes me end where I begun.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Donne" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-donne/as-virtuous-men-pass-mildly-away-and-whisper-to-their-souls-to-go/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Friendship" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-donne/as-virtuous-men-pass-mildly-away-and-whisper-to-their-souls-to-go/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76b/john-donne-933_friendship_as-virtuous-men-pass-mildly-away-and-whi_627916.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76b/john-donne-933_friendship_as-virtuous-men-pass-mildly-away-and-whi_627916.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76b/john-donne-933_friendship_as-virtuous-men-pass-mildly-away-and-whi_627916.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“As virtuous men pass mildly away, And whisper to their souls to go, Whilst some of their sad friends do say…” — John Donne", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "John Donne", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-donne/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“As virtuous men pass mildly away,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-donne/as-virtuous-men-pass-mildly-away-and-whisper-to-their-souls-to-go/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-donne/as-virtuous-men-pass-mildly-away-and-whisper-to-their-souls-to-go/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```