Student Question
In Ben Jonson's "To Celia," why does he send her flowers?
Quick answer:
In "To Celia," the speaker sends flowers to the beloved not to honor her, but hoping her breath will give them life and prevent them from withering. This act symbolizes her power and the immortality she imparts to nature through her presence. The poem suggests that her charms and vitality enhance and preserve the natural world, reflecting her fertility and the enduring nature of love.
In "To Celia," the lover states in lines 9-12,
I sent thee late a rosy wreath,/Not so much honoring thee/As giving it a hope that there/It could not withered be
Thus, by his own admission, he has sent the lover a wreath of roses, not "to honor" her, but for her to breathe the sweet breath of a lover upon and give it life. When he says that the wreath cannot wither in her presence, the poet conveys the power of the lady. Then, the last four lines of Johnson's poem focus on this power and the lady's interrelationship with nature. For, she gives the wreath immortality as she preserves it with her breath.
Along with immortality of love, the poet clearly suggests the fertility of the one he loves. Her charms become a part of what is around her:
Since when it grows, and smells, I swear,/Not of itself but...
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