On My First Sonne

On My First Sonne, a poem by Ben Jonson, was written in 1616 after the death of Jonson's first son Benjamin at age seven.^[1] The poem, a reflection of a father's pain in his young son's death, is rendered more acutely moving when compared with Jonson's other, usually more cynical or mocking, poetry.

Farewell, thou child of my right hand, and joy;

My sinne was too much hope of thee, lov'd boy;

Seven yeeres tho' wert lent to me, and I thee pay,

Exacted by thy fate, on the just day.

O, could I loose all father, now. For why

Will man lament the state he should envie?

To have so soon scap'd worlds and fleshes rage,

And, if no other miserie, yet age?

Rest in soft peace, and, ask'd, say here doth lye

Ben. Johnson his best piece of poetrie.

For whose sake, hence-forth, all his vowes be such,

As what he loves may never like too much.

References

1. ^ [1] New York University's database of prose, poetry, film, video and art.

v t e Works by Ben Jonson Plays A Tale of a Tub The Case is Altered The Isle of Dogs Every Man in His Humour Every Man out of His Humour Cynthia's Revels The Poetaster Sejanus His Fall Eastward Ho Volpone Epicœne, or The silent woman The Alchemist Catiline His Conspiracy Bartholomew Fayre: A Comedy The Devil is an Ass The Staple of News The New Inn The Magnetic Lady The Sad Shepherd Mortimer his Fall (fragment) Masques The Coronation Triumph A Private Entertainment of the King and Queen on May-Day The Entertainment at Althorp The Masque of Blackness Hymenaei The Entertainment of the Kings of Great Britain and Denmark The Masque of Beauty The Masque of Queens The Hue and Cry after Cupid The Entertainment at Britain's Burse The Speeches at Prince Henry's Barriers Oberon, the Faery Prince Love Freed from Ignorance and Folly Love Restored A Challenge at Tilt, at a Marriage The Irish Masque at Court Mercury Vindicated from the Alchemists The Golden Age Restored Christmas, His Masque The Vision of Delight Lovers Made Men Pleasure Reconciled to Virtue For the Honour of Wales News from the New World Discovered in the Moon The Entertainment at Blackfriars Pan's Anniversary The Gypsies Metamorphosed The Masque of Augurs Time Vindicated to Himself and to His Honours Neptune's Triumph for the Return of Albion The Masque of Owls at Kenilworth The Fortunate Isles and Their Union Love's Triumph Through Callipolis Chloridia The King's Entertainment at Welbeck Love's Welcome at Bolsover Poems On My First Sonne To Celia To Penshurst

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