Analysis

Written in 1616, this poem looks at Jonson’s feelings for his first son, who has tragically died.

He says farewell to him in the first line, as if talking to the child at the graveside, or perhaps at the wake.

He has strong feelings for him, calling him ‘child of my right hand, and joy’ as if he was his right hand; he was so close to him.

He uses the metaphor of ‘lent to me’ in the third line, as if he was only briefly allowed to have him (for ‘seven yeeres’) by God, because he was so precious and valuable to God, who wanted him back.

He questions why he had to ‘loose all’ to his father (probably God) as he feels his son meant ‘all’ to him.

He is clearly in grief as he asks two questions of God. The boy is described as ‘his best piece of poetrie’ the boy is better than any writing that Jonson produced. Indeed he compares him to a piece of poetry, he is a creation so highly valued that he is better than anything he ever wrote. This again shows the great sense of loss he feels.

The poem uses rhyming couplets throughout, to create a song-like structure, perhaps emphasising the joy he felt for his son.

He declares that from now on ‘what he loves may never like too much’ as if it is too painful to love so much again, so whatever else he loves from now on he must not do so ‘too much’.