Ben Jonson

[Vort]

The Dreame

Or scorne, or pittie on me take,
I must the true relation make,
I am undone to-night! 
Love, in a subtile Dreame disguis'd
Hath both my heart and me surpriz'd,
Whom never yet he durst attempt t' awake;
 Nor will he tell me for whose sake
He did me the delight,
Or spight,
But leaves me to inquire,
In all my wild desire,
Of sleepe againe; who was his aid.
And sleepe, so guiltie and afraid,
As since he dares not come within my sight!

This gorgeous poem is little known to the general public, though most English-language-lover types have heard of it. It was featured in the wonderful 1995 film version of Sense and Sensibility, with Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet, as arranged by Patrick Doyle and sung so beautifully by the unmatched Jane Eaglen.

Kate Winslet also sang it in the movie:

(For the record, the scene above introduces the part where Edward returns, a tour de force of Emma Thompson's acting chops and certainly one of the most emotionally moving, and satisfying, scenes in all cinematography. I kid you not. You need to watch the movie to get the full effect. A worthy way to spend two hours and change.)

Ben Jonson was a contemporary of William Shakespeare, and something of a rival to him. I wish more people in general know about Jonson. I wish I knew more about him, and were more familiar with his works. My favorite Ben Jonson poem is probably the same as yours, if you have a favorite Ben Jonson poem: On My First Sonne, which he wrote at the death of his seven-year-old son.

On My First Sonne

Farewell, thou child of my right hand, and joy;
My sinne was too much hope of thee, lov’d boy,
Seven yeeres thou’wert lent to me, and I thee pay,
Exacted by thy fate, on the just day.
O, could I lose all father, now. For why
Will man lament the fate he should envíe?
To have so soon scap’d worlds, and fleshes rage,
And, if no other miserie, yet age?
Rest in soft peace, and, ask’d, say here doth lye
BEN. IONSON his best piece of poetrie.
For whose sake, hence-forth, all his vowes be such,
As what he loves may never like too much.

I realize this isn't exactly everyone's cup of [herbal] tea, but some things are worth knowing. Ben Jonson's poems are some of those things.