Song: To Celia ("Drink to me only with thine eyes")

Quiz: "Song: To Celia" by Ben Jonson

1. Recall – Form & Publication: In which collection was "Song: To Celia" published, and approximately when was it written?

1. Recall – Sources: What is the classical source that Jonson drew upon when crafting this poem, and how does this relate to Renaissance attitudes toward imitating earlier texts?

1. Recall – Key Image: What gift does the speaker send to his beloved in the second half of the poem, and what does he hope her proximity will do to it?

1. Recall – Symbol: What does the speaker claim he would turn down, even if offered it by the king of the Roman gods, and what does this refusal signify about the beloved?

1. Comprehension – Argument: In the opening section of the poem, the speaker proposes an alternative to drinking wine. What is that alternative, and what does it reveal about how he values her?

1. Comprehension – The Returned Gift: When the beloved sends the gift back to the speaker, what small, almost incidental action has she performed, and why does the speaker find the result extraordinary?

1. Comprehension – Tone: How would you describe the overall tone of "Song: To Celia"? Use evidence from the analysis — such as the toast conceit or the self-deprecating aside — to support your answer.

1. Analysis – Symbolism: The analysis identifies the cup/wine and Jove's nectar as related but distinct symbols. Explain how Jonson uses both to construct a hierarchy in which the beloved is placed above earthly pleasure and even divine pleasure.

1. Analysis – The Breath: The analysis describes the beloved's breath as the most intimate and involuntary sign of being alive. Why is it significant that she transforms the wreath without any conscious act of love, and what does this imply about the nature of her influence on the speaker?

1. Analysis – Theme & Tradition: "Song: To Celia" engages with the themes of love, beauty, and mortality. Drawing on the analysis, explain how the wreath of roses brings all three themes together in the poem's closing movement.

Answer Key

1. The poem was published in Jonson's collection The Forest and was written around 1616.

1. Jonson drew upon Greek prose love letters attributed to the philosopher Philostratus (2nd–3rd century AD), weaving several passages into one English poem. Renaissance culture regarded imitating classical sources as a sign of learning and artistry rather than plagiarism.

1. The speaker sends the beloved a wreath of roses. He hopes that being close to her will prevent the roses from wilting, believing her presence has a rejuvenating power that defies nature's decay.

1. The speaker claims he would refuse nectar — the drink of immortality reserved for the gods — if offered by Jove (Jupiter). This elevates the beloved above the divine, placing her intoxicating effect above even the greatest pleasure the gods can provide.

1. Instead of wine, the speaker proposes that a look from her eyes — or her lips pressed to the cup before passing it to him — is sufficient to satisfy him. This shows he values her gaze and presence far above any earthly or physical pleasure.

1. She simply breathes on the wreath before returning it — an entirely ordinary, unconscious act. The speaker finds it extraordinary because the wreath now carries her scent rather than the scent of the roses, as though her very breath has transformed it.

1. The tone is warm, playful, and admiring — with a teasing edge seen in the toast conceit and a self-deprecating honesty in the aside about his motives for sending the wreath. Beneath this lightness lies genuine sincerity; the cleverness prevents the poem from becoming overly sentimental.

1. Wine represents ordinary earthly pleasure, and the speaker already claims the beloved surpasses it. Jove's nectar represents the absolute pinnacle of pleasure beyond human reach. By rejecting even nectar in her favor, Jonson constructs a three-tier hierarchy — wine, divine nectar, beloved — in which she stands supreme.

1. Because the transformation happens without intention, it suggests her influence is so powerful and natural that it operates beyond conscious effort. This implies that simply existing near the speaker — breathing, living — is enough to leave a lasting impression, making her effect on him feel both inevitable and miraculous.

1. The wreath of roses traditionally symbolizes love and beauty, but roses also wilt — evoking mortality. The speaker hopes the beloved's beauty will keep them alive (beauty conquering mortality). When she returns the wreath infused with her scent, love is literally imprinted on a symbol of nature's transience, suggesting that love and beauty together can transform and outlast the natural decay that mortality represents.