Song To Celia - II Analysis

Drink to me only with thine eyes,
   And I will pledge with mine;
Or leave a kiss but in the cup,
   And I'll not look for wine.
The thirst that from the soul doth rise
   Doth ask a drink divine;
But might I of Jove's nectar sup,
   I would not change for thine.

I sent thee late a rosy wreath,
   Not so much honouring thee
As giving it a hope, that there
   It could not withered be.
But thou thereon didst only breathe,
   And sent'st it back to me;
Since when it grows, and smells, I swear,
   Not of itself, but thee.

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I see this poem in a different sense. I do not see it as romantic or compassionate but slightly psychotic. He talks about committing to her, and yet he has only just set eyes upon her across the room. She sends the flower back, relaying the fact that she is not interested and yet all he notices is it now has her breath on it. She may not have even intended to breathe on it but he looks past this and sees it as a clear sign his feelings are reciprocated back to him from her. As the courtly tradition she is probably already married which could back up why she sent the gift back. When i read this poem i just get the image of a man trying to hold the attention of a woman he is attracted to across the room, and she is politely declining his offers. He never states anything she does back to him. I just fail to see the romantic side to it.

| Posted on 2009-10-24 | by a guest

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This is a very sweet poem and it is my favourite too
In this poenm speaker is expressing his deep feelings and love for Celia,He wants the faithful love from his frind tht's why he said" Drink to me with thine eyes and i will pledge with mine"He does not want to exchange his glass of wine with jove's nector cup i.e the roman god (Jupitor) Jove's nector or the drink of god,Speaker would give up the drink of the god for a drink from a cup which her lips merely have touched, but it’s not wine he searches for. He simply wishes for his lovers love.
Then He sends her “a rosy wreath.He send them to devote her that they would not withered their and remains fresh, but she send it back to him after breathing and since than roses are giving the smell of his friend.Such a nice poem.charming tribute of love that age of love poems.
speaker has deep and compelling love for his love celia that he is willing to give up anything in particular in exchange for Celia's compassion and love

| Posted on 2009-10-15 | by a guest

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This is a very sweet poem and it is my favourite too
In this poenm speaker is expressing his deep feelings and love for Celia,He wants the faithful love from his frind tht's why he said" Drink to me with thine eyes and i will pledge with mine"He does not want to exchange his glass of wine with jove's nector cup i.e the roman god (Jupitor) Jove's nector or the drink of god,Speaker would give up the drink of the god for a drink from a cup which her lips merely have touched, but it’s not wine he searches for. He simply wishes for his lovers love.
Then He sends her “a rosy wreath.He send them to devote her that they would not withered their and remains fresh, but she send it back to him after breathing and since than roses are giving the smell of his friend.Such a nice poem.charming tribute of love that age of love poems.
speaker has deep and compelling love for his love celia that he is willing to give up anything in particular in exchange for Celia's compassion and love

| Posted on 2009-10-15 | by a guest

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my analysis for this poem is that the speaker has deep and compelling love for Celia that he is willing to give up anything in particular in exchange for Celia's compassion and love. He had attempted to court her by sending her roses but unfortunately Celia declines his offer and sent it back to him. But when the roses was returnde, it no longer smell like it did but now it posess the fragrance and smell of thy beloved Celia. This love poem gives an overview to men that feels and experiences exactly the same way to the speaker. In this case, the speaker failed in his ever-flaming love for Celia. Just like most men do. No offense guyz..but it is a fact..
-cezenne japson

| Posted on 2009-07-22 | by a guest

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Love is foolishness, logic defied.
For you, Tales 'f two cities 's a whine ?
Pierre ppplll

| Posted on 2009-06-30 | by a guest

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Has anyone thought that this could have been a woman? Maybe that is why the wreath was sent back? What is masculine about the writing? Wine? Considering that most poems give of some context clues about gender, this one is a little different. It is very sappy, and unlike other love poems.

| Posted on 2009-05-28 | by a guest

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I hope everyone knows that person is completely WRONG. The speaker is not choosing the woman over WINE. He is choosing her over the gift of immortality. Jove (also called Jupiter)is the chief god in Roman mythology. "Jove's nectar," or the drink of the gods, gave immortality to those who drank it. So, either the speaker is choosing his love over immortalit or the implication could be that his love gives him immortality. Okay, I'm glad I'm 16 years old and have to explain this to you.

| Posted on 2008-12-30 | by a guest

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Can some one help me to find all of the poetic devices present in this poem?

| Posted on 2008-08-17 | by a guest

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Song of Celia is a charming tribute to a woman in that age of love poems

| Posted on 2008-07-28 | by a guest

.: Hahah!! I'm first :.

This is purely my own opinion. Please don't plagiarize



“Song: To Celia,” by Ben Johnson (1573-1637) is a simple love song from a man to a woman. He is totally captivated by her and would give up anything just to drink from the same cup as her. He sent Celia a bouquet of roses, but she returns them. However when he receives them back, the roses smell of her.
This literary work has been written if first person. The speaker refers to himself multiple times as he speaks of actions that he will carry out. His tone is dreamy with a wisp of yearning. The speaker is caught up in his emotions and is unable to clearly see reality. He can’t clearly show how he feels, so he speaks with symbols that are metaphors to the way he truly feels. The whole first stanza represents his feelings for Celia through the simple task of drinking wine. The thirst is the same for every man. The lust for a woman and calming the fear of being alone. The structure of the poem is lyrical, with couplets that have the second line rhyming with a -ine in the first stance and a -e in the second. This adds to the rhythm and helps organize the speakers thoughts, giving the poem structure.
In the first line the speaker personifies Celia’s eyes like telling her to “Drink only to me with thine eyes” continuing the personification by saying he “will pledge with mine.” The speaker wants Celia to give in to him and his wants, but he promises to be faithful to her. The man is madly in love and speaks in enigmatize. His words don’t make sense to a logical mind, but love is not of the mind. It is from the heart. . He “ask a drink divine” to quench the “thirst that from the soul doth rise.” Continuing with his riddle, he explains his flow of thoughts rather cryptically when he states “might I of Jove’s nectar sup, I would not change for thine.” Simply through this allusion to the Roman gods, this man would give up the drink of the for a drink from a cup her lips merely have touched, but it’s not wine he searches for. He simply wishes for Celia’s love. The author illustrates the man’s situation through a hyperbole. It has been greatly over exaggerated, and this man’s emotions are obviously not grounded and rational. The second stanza begins with an attempt to court the beloved Celia. He sends her “a rosy wreath.” He doesn’t devote it to her because it can’t compare with her. Even when she returns it, his passion doesn’t allow him to see reality. He swears that the rose smells “not of itself, but thee.” This analogy creates a paradox. The rose, which the man previously stated could not compare with Celia, now smells of her. This man has become another victim of the love bug.
While reading this poem, I couldn’t help but feel slightly disgusted. This man has allowed himself to become consumed with his passion. He has abandoned the logic, and even though he has been rejected, he holds on to a lost cause. I also felt slightly envious. The feelings this man must be feeling must be strong and compelling. He is stubborn and determined, but, overall, he still disappoints me. He shows weakness in character by not simply confronting her. Women did not, and still do not approve of men who cannot follow the proper courting rituals. This man still has some growing up to do, and he needs to do it fast before he gets his heart destroyed.


-trekie4ever@aim.com-

| Posted on 2007-03-12 | by a guest