On My First Son - Ben Jonson
Ben Jonson wrote this deeply personal elegy in 1616 after losing his seven-year-old son Benjamin in 1605. This isn't his usual satirical style - it's raw, emotional poetry from a grieving father's heart.
The poem uses religious imagery throughout, with Jonson viewing his son as a loan from God that had to be repaid. The phrase "child of my right hand" reflects Benjamin's name meaning in Hebrew, whilst "my sin was too much hope" shows the father blaming himself for loving too deeply.
Written in iambic pentameter with rhyming couplets, the controlled structure contrasts brilliantly with the chaotic grief underneath. Jonson calls his dead son his "best piece of poetry" - a heartbreaking metaphor that shows how parents view their children as their greatest creation.
Quick Tip: The tight rhyme scheme (AABBCC) mirrors how Jonson tries to control his overwhelming emotions through structured verse.
