The poem laments the death of the poet Ben Jonson's young son. It describes bidding farewell to his child who was lent to him for seven years before being taken by fate. Jonson expresses sorrow at losing his "best piece of poetry" and son, but also sees death as allowing the boy to escape the hardships of the world.

1. What is an elegy?
An elegy is a mournful poem or song, a
lament for the dead.
What does lament mean?
Lament means to express sorrow,
remorse or regret. A poem or song in
which a death is lamented.

2. Objectives
By the end of today’s lesson you will be able to:
Complete a MITSL
analysis of On My
First Sonne.

3. About the poet
Name: Ben Jonson b.1572 d.1637
Occupation: Actor, playwright and poet
Education: The young Jonson attended Westminster School, a rigorous, classics-minded
grammar school. He did not go to university, probably for reasons of money,
training instead in his step-father's trade as a bricklayer. However, at some
point in the 1590s he chose to try his luck as a soldier in the Low Countries
where English troops were involved in the continuing wars between the Dutch
and the Spanish.
Other: The records of the Tylers and Bricklayers' Companies seem to indicate that Jonson
worked in their trade from 1595 to around 1602 the same years which saw Jonson
establish himself as both actor and writer.

4. On my first Sonne
Farewell, thou child of my right hand, and joy;
My sinne was too much hope of thee, lov'd boy
Seven yeeres thou 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 soone 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. Jonson his best piece of poetrie.
For whose sake, hence-forth, all his vowes be such,
As what he loves may never like too much.
Ben Jonson
1616

5. Farewell, thou child of my right hand, and joy; What’s the poem about?
My sinne was too much hope of thee, lov'd boy
Seven yeeres thou wert lent to me, and I thee pay, The poem records and laments
Exacted by thy fate, on the just day. the death of the poet's first
O, could I loose all father, now. For why son.
Will man lament the state he should envie?
To have so soone scap'd worlds, and fleshes rage, How can we be sure that Jonson
And, if no other miserie, yet age? is speaking for and as himself?
Rest in soft peace, and, ask'd, say here doth lye
Ben. Jonson his best piece of poetrie.
For whose sake, hence-forth, all his vowes be such, Jonson writes as if talking to
As what he loves may never like too much. his son - and as if he assumes
that the boy can hear or read
his words.
What cause does the poet give
as to why the boy died?

6. Farewell, thou child of my right hand, and joy;
Explain the paradox ‘Will man
My sinne was too much hope of thee, lov'd boy
lament the state he should
Seven yeeres thou wert lent to me, and I thee pay,
envie?’
Exacted by thy fate, on the just day.
O, could I loose all father, now. For why
The boy is going to escape the
Will man lament the state he should envie?
hardships of life and the
To have so soone scap'd worlds, and fleshes rage,
misery of aging.
And, if no other miserie, yet age?
Rest in soft peace, and, ask'd, say here doth lye
Ben. Jonson his best piece of poetrie. What does Jonson mean by
For whose sake, hence-forth, all his vowes be such, ‘here doth lye / Ben. Jonson his
As what he loves may never like too much. best piece of poetrie’?
His son is the best thing he
ever made.
Comment on the poem’s form and style?
The poem is 12 lines long and is written using iambic pentameter. Jonson
arranges the lines in rhyming pairs, which we call couplets.

7. Iambic Pentameter
Iambic pentameter consists of one short syllable followed by one
long syllable – these pairs are Iambs. There are five groups of Iambs
– hence pentameter.
When read aloud such verse naturally follows a beat, similar to that
of a human heart beat at rest. In written form it looks like this:
da-dum da-dum da-dum da-dum da-dum
So Jonson's work would follow the pattern:
Fare-well thou-child of-my right-hand and-joy

8. A gift from
heaven
Addressed His son’s
to his dead name was
On my first sonne son Ben, Hebrew
Bidding
goodbye for “right
Farewell, thou child of my right hand, and joy; hand”
My sin was too much hope of thee, loved boy.
What was the sin?
Seven years thou wert lent to me, and I thee pay,The hand of god
Exacted by thy fate, on the just day.
Died at 7 years What emotion is
Oh, could I lose all father now. For why
portrayed by the “O”?
Hoped for so Will man lament the state he should envy?
much, but fate To have so soon 'scaped world's and flesh's rage,
Questions
made him pay And if no other misery, yet age! Escaped the pain
why we
Rest in soft peace, and asked, say, of growing old should fear
Gone to a Here doth lie Ben Jonson his best piece of poetry. death
better place For whose sake henceforth all his vows be such As
what he loves may never like too much.
Euphemism,
makes death Wants to avoid
sound comforting being hurt again
so much