The Expiration by John Donne (Poem, Summary, Paraphrase, Analysis & Questions)

 

The Expiration

by John Donne

(Poem, Summary, Paraphrase, Analysis & Questions) 

The Expiration

So, so, break off this last lamenting kiss,

Which sucks two souls, and vapours both away;

Turn thou ghost that way, and let me turn this,

And let ourselves benight our happiest day:

We ask none leave to love; nor will we owe

Any so cheap a death as saying, "Go."

 

Go, and if that word have not quite kil'd thee,

Ease me with death, by bidding me go too.

Oh, if it have, let my word work on me,

And a just office on a murderer do.

Except it be too late to kill me so,

Being double dead, going and bidding go.

 

Summary

Stanza 1:

The speaker and his beloved are sharing a final, sorrowful kiss. He urges them to stop the kiss, which he describes as so intense and emotional that it seems to draw out their souls and turn them into vapor—draining them physically and spiritually.

He tells his beloved to turn and leave in one direction while he turns and leaves in the other. They will part ways, even though this day might have been the happiest of their lives—it now ends in darkness, like the onset of night.

They never asked anyone’s permission to love each other, and now, he says, they will not cheapen their parting by just saying the word "Go"—as if ending their deep love could be done with something so simple and casual.

 

Stanza 2:

Now he uses irony: he actually says “Go.” If saying it hasn’t already killed her with sorrow, he begs her to ease his own pain by telling him to “Go” too. The act of parting is like death, and if she says it to him, she will also be killing him.

But if his saying “Go” has already killed her (emotionally), then he says let his own words also take effect on himself. If he has caused her death with this word, then justice requires that he too should die for being the murderer.

Unless, he says, it’s already too late to kill him with words—because he is already "double dead": once because he is leaving her, and again because he has said the word “Go” to her.

 

Line-by-line Paraphrase

Stanza 1:

1. So, so, break off this last lamenting kiss,

→ Alright, let’s stop this final, sorrowful kiss now.

 

2. Which sucks two souls, and vapours both away;

→ This kiss feels so deep and emotional that it’s like it's pulling our souls out and turning them into mist.

 

3. Turn thou ghost that way, and let me turn this,

→ You go one way like a spirit leaving, and I’ll go the other way.

 

4. And let ourselves benight our happiest day:

→ Let’s bring darkness over what used to be our happiest day (by ending it with parting).

 

5. We ask none leave to love; nor will we owe

→ We never asked anyone's permission to love each other,

 

6. Any so cheap a death as saying, “Go.”

→ So we won’t settle for something as small and weak as just saying “go” to end it.

 

Stanza 2:

7. Go, and if that word have not quite kil'd thee,

→ Go then—and if hearing that word hasn’t already destroyed you,

 

8. Ease me with death, by bidding me go too.

→ Then make it easier for me—kill me too—by telling me to go.

 

9. Oh, if it have, let my word work on me,

→ But if my saying “go” has already killed you emotionally, then let that same word hurt me too.

 

10. And a just office on a murderer do.

→ Let justice be done to me, the one who caused your death—like punishing a murderer.

 

11. Except it be too late to kill me so,

→ Unless it's already too late for words to hurt me,

 

12. Being double dead, going and bidding go.

→ Because I’m already twice dead: once from leaving you, and once from telling you to go.

 

Analysis in Detail

“The Expiration” is a dramatic love poem centered around a painful farewell between lovers. Donne blends emotional depth with metaphysical conceits (extended comparisons), portraying parting not just as sorrowful but as a kind of death—even a double death. The poem dramatizes the act of separation with intense emotional weight and philosophical imagery, typical of Donne’s metaphysical style.

 

Tone:

The tone of the poem is intimate, grieving, and theatrical. Donne uses passionate and elaborate language to elevate a personal goodbye into something tragic and profound. There is also a touch of irony, especially when the speaker claims they won’t say “go” because it's “too cheap,” and then proceeds to say it—highlighting the tension between feeling and action.

 

Themes:

Love and Death:

The primary theme is the close relationship between love and death. The act of parting is described in deathly terms: “sucks two souls,” “ghost,” “murderer,” “double dead.” Donne blurs the lines between emotional pain and physical mortality.

Parting as a Soulful Event:

The lovers’ kiss is so intense that it’s described as pulling out their very souls—turning affection into a spiritual experience. Parting is not just the end of a meeting, but the evaporation of being.

 

Autonomy in Love:

The speaker proudly notes that their love was independent—“We ask none leave to love”—asserting that their relationship was free from societal constraints. This heightens the tragedy of separation: if no one else controlled their love, then no one else can soften the pain of its ending.

 

Irony and Contradiction:

Donne often uses paradox and irony. He rejects the idea of saying “go,” but then says it; he asks for justice against himself for causing emotional death; he claims the word can kill, but admits he may already be “double dead.” These ironies add depth to the emotional conflict.

 

Imagery and Metaphysical Conceits:

Kiss as soul-sucking:

The metaphor of the kiss that “sucks two souls” uses metaphysical exaggeration to show the kiss as a literal draining of life and love. It spiritualizes the physical, typical of Donne.

 

“Ghost,” “vapour,” and “benight”:

These images conjure death, dissolution, and darkness, reinforcing that parting is like dying.

 

“Going” and “bidding go” as acts of murder:

The speaker likens saying “go” to committing murder—language that turns emotional pain into moral guilt.

 

Structure and Form:

The poem has two sestets (12 lines total), composed in iambic pentameter, with a rhyme scheme of AABBCC DDEEFF. This simple, neat structure contrasts the intense emotional content—perhaps suggesting an attempt to control or frame the chaos of heartbreak with poetic order.

 

Poetic Devices:

Metaphysical Conceit:

The central conceit is that a kiss can draw out the souls and vaporize them. Another is that parting is like being murdered.

 

Alliteration and Assonance:

For example, “sucks souls,” “benight our happiest day,” “double dead.” These create musicality and emphasis.

 

Personification:

Love is treated like a life-force that can be “killed.” The kiss itself seems to have agency.

 

Paradox:

“Double dead,” “cheap a death,” and speaking of death through a simple word—“go.” These paradoxes enhance the metaphysical complexity.

 

Emotional Arc:

The first stanza captures the physical and spiritual toll of the final kiss.

The second stanza deepens into emotional blame, guilt, and self-sacrifice, as the speaker sees himself as both a mourner and a murderer.

The poem ends in resignation and despair, with the speaker already “double dead” through action and speech.

 

Conclusion:

John Donne’s “The Expiration” is a compact but deeply layered poem, portraying parting lovers with dramatic metaphysical intensity. Using themes of death, spiritual unity, and irony, Donne elevates a farewell into a spiritual tragedy, showing how love—especially love lost—is not a light emotion but a force that touches the soul, the body, and even moral conscience.

 

Possible Exam Questions     

What does the speaker mean by "sucks two souls, and vapours both away"?

 

Why does the speaker refer to the parting as “benighting our happiest day”?

 

What is the significance of the word "Go" in the poem?

 

Explain the phrase “double dead” in your own words.

 

What kind of love does the speaker claim he and his beloved shared?

 

Why does the speaker describe the kiss as a “lamenting kiss”?

 

How does John Donne use the imagery of death to describe separation in love?

 

What poetic device is used in the phrase “sucks two souls”? Explain.

 

How does the speaker compare himself to a murderer?

 

Describe the emotional journey of the speaker in The Expiration.

 

How does Donne present the theme of parting as a form of death in the poem?

 

Discuss the use of metaphysical imagery in The Expiration.

 

How does the poem explore the conflict between love and separation?

 

Examine the significance of the title The Expiration. How does it reflect the poem’s content?

 

Write a critical appreciation of The Expiration, focusing on Donne’s treatment of love and separation.

 

How does John Donne blend emotion and intellect in The Expiration?

 

Analyse how the poem reflects metaphysical poetic features through its imagery, structure, and tone.

 

“Parting is presented as both a physical and spiritual death.” Discuss this statement with reference to The Expiration.

 

Explore how irony and paradox are used in The Expiration to heighten the emotional impact of parting.