On my First Daughter Summary

“On My First Daughter” is an epitaph for Ben Jonson’s daughter Mary, who died when she was six months old. Epitaphs are short pieces of writing commemorating someone who has died. They were popular in ancient Greece and Rome, and experienced a revival in early modern England. In this poem, Jonson remembers his deceased child, and provides an argument aimed at convincing himself and his wife to not mourn too much. He emphasizes that Mary always belonged to God, and that now her soul has returned to heaven. However, the poem ends on the disturbing image of Mary’s “fleshly” body in the ground. The bleak image undermines the comforting tone of the rest of the poem.