On My First Son
Ben-jonson
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On My First Son by Ben Jonson
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Ben-jonsonAbout
Forming a sharp contrast with his witty satires, Jonson’s On My First Son is a moving and powerful piece serving as a memorial for the passing of his first son in 1603. It is an elegy, a poem of mourning on the death of a loved-one.
In the poem Jonson says goodbye to his little boy, and wishes that...
On My First Son Annotated
Farewell, thou child of my right hand, and joy;
My sin was too much hope of thee, lov'd boy.
Seven years thou wert lent to me, and I thee pay,
Exacted by thy fate, on the just day.
Oh, could I lose all father now! For why
Will man lament the state he should envy?
To have so soon 'scaped world's and flesh's rage,
And if no other misery, yet age!
Rest in soft peace, and, asked, say, Here doth lie
Ben Jonson his best piece of poetry.
For whose sake henceforth all his vows be such
As what he loves may never like too much.
On My First Son Q&A
When did Ben-jonson release On My First Son?
Ben-jonson released On My First Son on Wed Jan 01 1603.