Poem Analysis

Student’s Name

Institutional Affiliation

On My First Son

by Ben Jonson

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

Goodbye my first child and my joy.

    My sin was too much hope of thee, lov'd boy.

I was wrong to have too much hope on you my beloved.

Seven years thou wert lent to me, and I thee pay,

I was given you for seven years and now I let you go.

    Exacted by thy fate, on the just day.

It was your time to go as planned by fate.

Oh, could I lose all father now! For why

Why could I stop being a father?

    Will man lament the state he should envy?

Should man be sad about death which he should desire?

To have so soon 'scaped world's and flesh's rage,

To move away early from the problems of the world and pain.

    And if no other misery, yet age!

Without any other regret except your age.

Rest in soft peace, and, asked, say, Here doth lie

Rest in peace and if asked say, here lies

    Ben Jonson his best piece of poetry.

Ben Jonson’s best piece of poetry.

For whose sake henceforth all his vows be such

Which is the reason all his declarations are that

    As what he loves may never like too much.

He loses everything he loves.

The poem is about a father who loses a son. The son is seven years old and the author is grieving because his son went too soon. However, his attitude towards death is positive, he wonders why a man should be pained by losing a loved one so much yet it is better when someone is dead and no longer experiencing pain and suffering.

The theme of love has been repeated severally in the poem. The author talks about his son as his joy, and again as his beloved. He asks his son to rest in peace and lets him know that he has been his inspiration for poetry and from that moment, his inspiration is no more. The author of the poem is sad and he expresses the tone of sadness throughout the poem as he laments about his dead son who left him too soon. The expression of love amidst sadness shows that Ben Johnson is broken hearted and that gives the poem a sense of sadness.

The structure of the poem is simply written to represent two emotions at the same time. The theme of death has been embraced with hope and bravery by Johnson. The poem therefore says much of his affection and loss in just a short simple poem. It is supposed to be a complex poem but the author structures it such that the two themes agree and are understood.

I chose this poem because of the theme that runs through it. I am an emotional person and when I love the people in my life I invest my emotions heavily that when I lose them I break. The poem handled sorrow with bravery and hope that death was not as bad to the person dead as to that person who remains behind. This teaches me to let go those who have passed away and hope that they are in a better place and they are happy, which is comforting.