Other similes are also found in later stanzas of the poem.
In stanza 6, Donne tells his love that their two souls have become one and says that
their love will expand "Like gold to airy thinness beat". He is saying that death will
not separate the two of them but will only make their love greater. A nugget of gold can
be pounded into a sheet because it is flexible; their love is also flexible and will
grow greater.
In stanza 7, Donne contradicts what he says
in stanza 6, saying their two souls may not be one, but even if they aren't, they are
like the feet of a compass. He extends this simile to the end of the poem. He is
referring to the type of compass where the two parts are joined together at the top. You
have probably used this type of compass in your math classes to draw circles. One foot
doesn't move unless the other moves. His lover is the "fix'd foot", and he is the other.
After death, their two souls will still be spiritually
connected.
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