John Donne - The Expiration

Song Meaning

This poem opens with a desperate, almost violent farewell kiss, one that "sucks two soules, and vapours Both away." The speaker and their beloved are parting, and this final kiss isn't tender; it's an act of mutual depletion, draining their very essence. The narrator then commands their lover to "Turne thou ghost that way," suggesting a profound separation, as if one is already becoming spectral. They are choosing to "benight our happiest day," plunging their peak moment into darkness, a stark contrast to the joy love usually brings.