in love when they are separated But their love grows stronger when they are separated Because their souls are always connected Metaphor of a Compass Now Donne uses a fine conceit to celebrate the spiritual quality of their love He compares their two souls the the two legs of a drawing compass One leg stands still and the other moves but they stay connected This shows that even when the lovers are far their souls are still united If they be two they are two so As stiff twin compasses are two Moreover one leg stays firm in the center It is steady and does not move much This leg is like the beloved who stays at home The other leg moves in a circle just like the speaker who has to travel away But when one leg moves the other follows and leans toward it This shows that their souls are always in touch In this way the poem celebrates spiritual love between the lovers Their spiritual love only becomes stronger when they are physically apart