A Sonnet, To The Noble Lady, The Lady Mary Wroth

Ben Jonson 1572 (Westminster) – 1637 (Westminster)



I that have been a lover, and could show it,
Though not in these, in rhymes not wholly dumb,
Since I exscribe your sonnets, am become
A better lover, and much better poet.
Nor is my Muse, or I ashamed to owe it
To those true numerous graces; whereof some
But charm the senses, others overcome
Both brains and hearts; and mine now best do know it:
For in your verse all Cupid's armory,
His flames, his shafts, his quiver, and his bow,
His very eyes are yours to overthrow.
But then his mother's sweets you so apply,
Her joys, her smiles, her loves, as readers take
For Venus' ceston, every line you make.
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Submitted on August 03, 2020

Modified on April 13, 2023

34 sec read
19

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABBCABBADEFGHH
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 590
Words 114
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14

Ben Jonson

Ben Jonson was a playwright, poet, and literary critic of the seventeenth century, whose artistry exerted a lasting impact upon English poetry and stage comedy. more…

All Ben Jonson poems | Ben Jonson Books

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