Song: To Celia Group

Question:

star-spencer
star-spencer
Student

Does Jonson's "To Celia" have regular rhyme or metre?

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Posted by star-spencer on Monday February 9, 2009 at 8:35 AM and tagged with ben jonson, celia, jonson, metre, rhyme, song: to celia, tetrameter, the regular rhyme scheme, to celia, trimeter.

Answers:


  1. robertwilliam

    It's written in alternating lines of tetrameter and trimeter (that is, a line with four stresses, and a line with three stresses). I've put the scansion below (x is a strong stress, and - is a weak stress).

    Drink to me only with thine eyes,
      -     x   -   x  -   x      -       x
    And I will pledge with mine:
      -   x  -       x      -       x

    And rhyme wise, you analyse rhyme assigning the same letter to rhyming lines. Like this:

    Drink to me only with thine eyes,        A
    And I will pledge with mine:                B
    Or leave a kiss but in the cup,            C
    And I'll not look for wine.                   B

    The thirst that from the soul doth rise  A
    Doth ask a drink divine                       B
    But might I of Jove's nectar sup,          C
    I would not change for thine.              B

    I sent thee late a rosy wreath,            D
    Not so much honoring thee,                E
    As giving hope that there                   F
    It could not withered be                     E

    But thou thereto didst only breathe         D
    And sent it back to me;                        E
    Since when it grows and smells, I swear,  F
    Not of itself, but thee.                          E

    See how it works? So the recurring rhyme scheme of the poem is ABCB.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/song-celia

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    Posted by robertwilliam on Monday February 9, 2009 at 9:02 AM