Song to celia analysis line by line. Song: To Celia by Ben Jonson 2022-12-20

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"Song to Celia" is a poem written by the English poet Ben Jonson in the early 17th century. The poem is a celebration of love and the beauty of the person being addressed, Celia.

In the first line, Jonson addresses Celia directly, saying "Drink to me, only, with thine eyes." This line sets the tone for the rest of the poem, as Jonson is expressing his love for Celia and asking her to show her love for him through her gaze and expression.

The second line reads "And I will pledge with mine; or leave a kiss within the cup." This line continues the theme of love and affection, as Jonson is offering to share a drink with Celia and also leave a kiss within the cup as a symbol of their love.

In the third line, Jonson writes "And I'll not look for wine." This line could be interpreted in several ways, but one interpretation is that Jonson is saying he does not need wine or any other external substance to feel intoxicated or euphoric because being with Celia is enough to make him feel that way.

The fourth line reads "The thirst that from the soul doth rise." This line suggests that Jonson's love for Celia is so strong that it is like a thirst that cannot be quenched. It is a deep and enduring love that comes from the soul.

In the fifth line, Jonson writes "Doth ask a drink divine." This line further develops the theme of love as a thirst that needs to be quenched. Jonson is saying that his love for Celia is so intense that it is like a divine thirst that can only be satisfied by her.

The sixth line reads "But might I of Jove's nectar sup." This line is a reference to the Greek god Jupiter (also known as Jove), who was believed to have a drink called nectar that could grant immortality. Jonson is saying that if he could drink this nectar, he would still choose Celia over immortality because his love for her is more important to him than anything else.

The seventh line reads "I would not change for thine." This line further emphasizes Jonson's deep love for Celia and his willingness to choose her over anything else.

In the final line, Jonson writes "I sent thee late a rosy wreath." This line could be interpreted as a reference to a gift that Jonson sent to Celia, perhaps as a symbol of his love for her. The use of the word "rosy" could also suggest that Jonson sees Celia as a symbol of beauty and joy.

Overall, "Song to Celia" is a beautiful and moving poem that celebrates the power of love and the beauty of the person being addressed. Jonson's words are full of passion and devotion, and his love for Celia shines through every line.

Song: To Celia Or Drink to me only with thine eyes: Summary and Questions » Smart English Notes

song to celia analysis line by line

Example: The tone is overly romantic. Drink to me only with thine eyes, And I will pledge with mine; Or leave a kiss but in the cup, And I'll not look for wine. John Dryden, then the poet laureate of the UK, wrote this poem for the ceremony of St. Through its rich images of wine and roses, the poem suggests that love is the most powerful and delicious thing in all of heaven and earth. Its rhyme pattern runs: abcbabcb defedefe. If she sends it back to him, he will not smell the roses of the wreath, he will smell the power she has breathed into it.

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Song: To Celia Summary & Study Guide

song to celia analysis line by line

Nevertheless, the similarity is pretty pronounced. When the goddess Calypso offered Odysseus immortality to stay with her on her island, Odysseus refused the offer to return to his homeland to be with his wife. Or, if thou wilt, putting the cup to thy lips, fill it with kisses, and so bestow it upon me. In a similar fashion, the speaker insists that a kiss is more intoxicating than wine. When she gave her vocal breath to her organ, it reached heaven. ” This section contains 220 words approx.

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Song: To Celia Analysis

song to celia analysis line by line

Such instances include referencing the goddesses Dionysus and Aphrodite as wine and roses, respectively. None can teach this art to a human being unless the user has some divine inspiration or a heavenly spirit. Jonson imitated the work of a Greek writer names Philostratus. He sends her a ''a rosy wreath,'' giving the reason that ''As giving it a hope, that there It could not withered be. The speaker is trying to win Celia, but she does not want to be won. It uses iambic tetrameter in the odd-numbered lines and iambic trimeter in the even-numbered lines.

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Song: to Celia [Come, my Celia, let us prove] Summary and Analysis » Smart English Notes

song to celia analysis line by line

After returning the wreath, he claims her breath keeps it from withering and helps it grow. He According to the Stanza Two What passion cannot music raise and quell! Analyzing Jonson's 'Song: To Celia': Wine And Roses In fact, many of the sentiments and images Philostratus includes in his erotic love letter are used by Jonson in his 'Song: To Celia. The speaker thought the roses needed to be with her, but it turns out that all it took was her breathing on them, and now they are growing again. The idea of rejection is presented in the second octave, yet it only serves to further develop the theme of love. Jonson, who lived from c. On the one hand, they are another over-the-top compliment to Celia. The first line of ''Song: To Celia'', which is often used as an alternative title for the poem, comes from one of Philostratus's letters, and it reads ''Drink to me only with thine eyes.

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Song: To Celia ("Drink to me only with thine eyes") Poem Summary and Analysis

song to celia analysis line by line

What type of poem is song Ans. The poem is divided into two stanzas that each have eight lines. The metaphor continues with the request to ''leave a kiss but in the cup. Edmund Gosse, in The Jacobean Poets, concludes that Jonson was “rewarded by the passionate devotion of a tribe of wits and scholars. As a result, the poem becomes a lively, expressive song extolling the immortality of love.

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Song: to Celia (“Drink to me only with thine eyes”) “Song: to Celia” Summary and Analysis

song to celia analysis line by line

Jonson uses two extended metaphors, or metaphors lasting for multiple lines. Lesson Summary Ben Jonson's 'Song: To Celia' is often referred to by its first line, 'Drink to me only with thine eyes,' which is a direct translation from a letter by the Greek author Philostratus. Take for instance Ben Jonson's 'Song: To Celia,' which is often identified by its first line: 'Drink to me only with thine eyes. His love still remains undiminished. Stanza Five Sharp violins proclaim Their jealous pangs, and desperation, Fury, frantic indignation, Depth of pains and height of passion, For the fair, disdainful dame. The speaker suggests that her mere presence or her breath will give life to the wreath as she does for him. This framing structure that Jonson uses closely resembles Philostratus' closing line, 'Because, that way, no one is without love like someone still longing for the grace of Dionysus while among the grapevines of Aphrodite.

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How can I analyze this line from "Song: To Celia" by Ben Jonson? "Come, my Celia, let us prove, while we can, the sports of love."

song to celia analysis line by line

How, according to the speaker, has the wreath changed? An iamb is a unit consisting of two syllables with the second syllable stressed, and tetrameter contains four iambs, while trimeter contains three. The speaker portrays Celia in a similar light to that of the gods. Although the language used is a bit dated, the thoughts expressed couldn't be more modern. READ ALSO: Palanquin Bearers -Summary, Analysis and Questions Answers 2. The theme of love runs throughout the poem. Structure of ''Song: To Celia'' ''Song: To Celia'' is a short poem comprised of two stanzas, each of which contain eight lines.

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Song: To Celia

song to celia analysis line by line

The soul, however, is immortal, and after death goes to God for judgment. Saint Cecilia Sancta Caecilia in Latin is a Roman martyr. He compares it to the nectar drank by Jupiter and other gods of ancient Rome. Unfortunately, the lady only smelt that wreath and sent it back to the speaker. Throughout this poem, the stanza length stays relatively the same at about one sentence per stanza, within those stanzas starting at the third stanza there is an AABB rhyme scheme with the last word rhyming in each sentence. When Jubal struck the corded shell, his brethren stood around him wondering about his composition.

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Song: To Celia by Ben Jonson Analysis & Poem

song to celia analysis line by line

The poem is the third of three songs found in The Forest, addressed to Celia. John Addington Symonds, in his 1886 study of Jonson, calls the poem a masterpiece in its “purely lyric composition” and individuality. We can again read the final two lines in two very divergent ways. The first line of each pair is made up of eight syllables and the second line is only made up of six. Song: To Celia by Ben Jonson Analysis This poem is known as a masterpiece purely for its lyrical composition and its individuality.

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A Song for St. Cecilia's Day by John Dryden

song to celia analysis line by line

Nectar, instead, means overcoming death. With the returned wreath, the speaker retains his happiness and affection. So, by using his flattery of Philostratus to flatter his lover, Jonson has made sure that they, and the tradition they belong to, endure for future generations. His love is given life by her even if it's through a simple action like breathing. In addition to the rhyme scheme, which is aaba aaba, Jonson uses The thirst that from the soul doth rise Doth ask a drink divine; The poem starts with addressing the woman's eyes but shifts to her mouth because the metaphors revolve around notions of drinking, kissing, and breathing: intoxication, love, and life.

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