On My First Son

E399542

"On My First Son" is a poignant elegiac poem by Ben Jonson mourning the death of his young son and reflecting on grief, love, and the nature of loss.

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Label Occurrences
On My First Son canonical 2

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Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf elegy
poem
addressee Ben Jonson's first son
approximateCompositionDate early 17th century
author Ben Jonson
countryOfOrigin England
criticalReputation frequently anthologized in English literature collections
one of Ben Jonson's most famous short poems
features direct address to the dead child
paradox of blessing and loss
religious imagery
self-reproach by the speaker
form lyric poem
genre elegiac poem
imagery bond between father and son
religious consolation
includedIn Ben Jonson's collected works
influence later elegiac poetry in English
inspiredBy death of Ben Jonson's son Benjamin
language English
lineCount 12
literaryMovement English Renaissance
surface form: Jacobean literature
literaryPeriod English Renaissance
meter iambic pentameter
mode first-person lyric
narrativePerspective grieving father
openingLine Farewell, thou child of my right hand, and joy
originalPublicationCentury 17th century
rhymeScheme irregular
studiedIn courses on Renaissance poetry
courses on elegy
surveys of English literature
subject consolation
death of a child
grief
innocence
loss
mortality
parental love
religious faith
resignation
theme the idea of death as release from suffering
the limits of human control
the pain of parental bereavement
the tension between love and religious acceptance
tone mournful
reflective
tender

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Ben Jonson notableWork On My First Son
Ben Jonson wrote On My First Son