On My First Daughter

• Title => epigrams, they are incisive poems of personal invective, often with a surprise turn in the end. Jonson had separate sections for epigrams in his books. However, he meant epigrams in a liberal sense, poems of compliment and courtesy, some memorial epitaphs (a short speech about a dead person that recently died).
• Daughters name is Mary and died young at 6 months (common at this time), she died innocent (left with virginity), so she will go to heaven
• Toothed vs. toothless satires (toothed is biting, and toothless is general)

On Giles and Joan

• Giles regrets he married her, and so does Joan. They are happiest when not around each other, Giles even says he wishes he were blind so he didn’t have to look at her, and Joan agrees.
• Giles children are not his, and the wife says they are not too.
• They dislike everything about each other, and this leads them to agree, on everything they disagree about each other.

On My First Son

• Had a son (Benjamin, which means dexterous or fortunate) that died at age of 7, on his birthday. Boy was expected to survive because he’s already 7, also he will die with sins might go to hell.
• Fathers and poets are makers, Jonson’s favorite term for the poet (Ben Jonson his best piece of poetry).

Inviting a Friend to Supper

• Wants a friend to come for dinner, and says his presence will be best part about the supper (although he lists a lot of good foods, gets very detailed mentioning several types of birds and drinks).
• Says papers will be under pies (trying to say he wont read him poems)
• There will be no spies=> was Roman Catholic at time and believed in undercover agents.
• Will actually read the friend his poems and there will be no food. (Plans on getting him drunk, and they will regret it the next day)

Song to Celia

• He loves her so much he would ask for the cup which she drank (her lips had kissed), and would not trade that cup, not even for Joves (Zeus’s) nectar cup. Also, he plans on sending her a wreath, which she will send back but it being in her presence will be in enough (As it grows he can smell it and that will be enough).

Queen and Huntress

• Song is sung by Hesperus(Greek mythology), about goddess Diana, who is often compared to Queen Elizabeth.
• Every stanza ends with Goddess excellently bright. Praises Goddess Diane, and thus is same as praising Queen Elizabeth (saying her reign was good and can turn bad into good [day into night], and she will stop eclipses => Bad).

Though I am Young

• Speaker is young and doesn’t know love or death very well, but she believes they aim at young hearts. (Love wounds with head and Death with cold)
• Speaker cant tell difference between Love and Death, and believes love can cause deaths too, unless loves fire will warm her out of the grave.

Still to be Neat

• He is talking about his wife, that is getting ready. Talks about how art hides the face, and it isn’t as sweet as it looks.
• He wants to see her face, her hair free, her neglect towards her appearance (using art), and he says art strikes his eyes but has no effect on his heart.

To His Coy Mistress

• Carpe Diem (seize the day) poem, about exotic river Ganges, and poems of unavailing (done but failing to achieve the desired result) love. He would love her till ten years before the Flood, and she would until all the Jews are converted [Long time] but they don’t have that time.
• Women at this time used fans to send messages (she is sending messages but isn’t clear [being coy], and he believes she should be clear)
• He says its pointless to be a virgin because then the worms will take your virginity. Its better to let him take your virginity [he lusts after her] wants the sex to be rough, and like birds of prey.

To Althea from Prision

• Repeats know no such liberty. Mentions free beings and elements, such as gods/birds, and water, which all aren’t as free as him and his love for Althea.
• Even if caged like finches, he will still be free, because he can sing and no one can stop him. In your mind you can be free even behind iron bars or cages. Says “If I have freedom in my love, and in my soul am free” he tells angels alone, that soard above enjoy such liberty.

To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time

• Tempus Fugit (A- flying). Something alive today, tomorrow might be dying [flower]. While you are still young [best age] get married. For you will lose your looks.

A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning

• Adressed to Donnes wife [ no proof of this claim] He had a vision of his wife holding a dead baby. His lover is dying, and every moment she is about to die is scary. He is away from her, yet he doesn’t want to cry. Generally, when two lovers are separated the love dies, but their love is so pure, they would not miss the others physical self.
• They are one soul, and by being far its just an expansion. Their love is like a compass, and they kind of revolve around each other.

The Cannonization

• The Speaker wants to be let to love, and wants the addressee to be like the nobles. He doesn’t want anyone criticizing him on his age or his looks. Lists things his love did not hurt. Wants to be canonized as saints of love, and be remembered by his sonnets, which everyone will envy their love.

The Flea

• A flea sucked him and then her. The blood of both of them are in the Flea (they are combined in the flea). The blood combining in the flea is more than they do together (flea is like pregnant with their baby). The Flea is their marriage bed and temple, and although the parents don’t want them to be together, in the flea they are. Killing the Flea is killing three not just one (she was going to kill it).
• Fleas were commonly used for erotic themes in poetry. “kill” carries an allusion to sexual intercourse.
• Then she drives her nail and splits the flea in half, and purple blood comes out. Then the speaker says how could the flea be guilty.