Is John Donne a Metaphysical poet?

This is a very intersting question to consider, as really
to answer it we need to move towards some kind of definition of what is meant by the
expression "metaphysical." In a sense, this word is a label that has come to be applied
to the work of certain poets, Donne of whom is one, who write poems that are short, draw
their subject matter from the big issues facing their age, and are characterised by a
rejection of traditional forms of expression and the adoption of startling conventions,
particularly in the area of imagery. The conceit, in particular, which makes improbably
comparisons, seems to be above all else the label that signifies whether a poet's work
can be considered to be "metaphysical" or not.

To give one
example of one of John Donne's conceits, let us consider "A Valediction: Forbidding
Mourning," where a dying husband compares the link that exists between himself and his
wife to a pair of compass points that are always linked even when they are
separate:

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.

Such original and
striking imagery which elaborates its point beautifully explores and builds upon the
central theme of the poem and also gives ample proof of why Donne is considered to be a
metaphysical poet.