"Drink to me only with thine eyes."?

Question

In a famous love poem by Ben Jonson, he writes, "Drink to me
only with thine eyes." What does that line of poetry mean?

Answer 1

No no no!!!

He's talking about the custom of making a toast. What you do, when making a toast, is to raise your glass (of wine) and say something nice to someone, such as "To your health!" or to "pledge" something, such as your love, to someone. Then, you drink.

In this particular line, Johnson is saying to her, "I don't want you to make a toast to me, involving wine. Simply look at me with love in your eyes, and that will be enough..." He follows it up with, "...And I will do the same, for you..."

Answer 2

That first line, which you quoted, when punctuated the way Mr. Jonson did tells Celia that she is his 'only love' and that she need only to look at him to show her love for him. He states that he will do the same in the next line, "I will pledge with mine".

The poem is made up of such similes or metaphors, and is actually quite a nice compliment to Celia, whoever she was.


Here is the whole poem:

To Celia

Drink to me, only, with thine eyes,
And I will pledge with mine;
Or leave a kiss but in the cup
And I'll not look for wine.
The thirst, that from the soul doth rise
Doth ask a drink divine:
But might I of Jove's nectar sup,
I would not change for thine.
I sent thee, late, a rosy wreath,
Not so much honouring thee,
As giving it a hope, that there
It could not withered be.
But thou thereon did'st only breath,
And sent'st it back to me:
Since when it grows, and smells, I swear,
Not of itself, but thee.

Ben Jonson (1573-1637)

Answer 3

Ben Jonson wrote this in 1660 and was first put to music in 1770 by an unknown person (www.contemplator.com). The poem is a love dedication to a person who seems not to care about the affections (my take on it anyway). "Drink to me only with thine eyes" means honor me by paying me the attention I crave from you. I wish nothing else.

Drink to me only with thine eyes
And I will pledge with mine.
Or leave a kiss within the cup
And I'll not ask for wine.
The thirst that from the soul doth rise
Doth ask a drink divine;
But might I of Jove's nectar sip,
I would not change for thine.

I sent thee late a rosy wreath,
Not so much hon'ring thee
As giving it a hope that there
It could not withered be;
But thou thereon did'st only breathe,
And sent'st it back to me,
Since when it grows and smells, I swear
Not of itself, but thee. (www.contemplator.com)

as a bit of trivia i found this interesting as i remember thhis cartoon. "The song features unflatteringly in the 1936 Merrie Melodies short subject "I Love to Singa" as the selection young "Owl Jolson's" parents force him to perform in his lessons rather than the title number" (www.Wikipedia.com)

Answer 4

Of course, a more literal interpretation would be that he doesn't need wine to make him feel good. She's intoxicating enough. Which, yeah, is another way of saying what the others have said. But before you try to look deeper into a poem, first consider what is actually being said. Then, if there are discrepancies, dig a little deeper. But what do I know?

Answer 5

Look at me and "drink me in" with your eyes

Answer 6

Let me the only one who turns your head, you find beauty with etc.