Author: Ben Jonson

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Where dost thou careless lie,
Buried in ease and sloth?
Knowledge that sleeps doth die;
And this security,
It is the common moth
That eats on wits and arts, and oft destroys them both.

Are all th' Aonian springs
Dried up? lies Thespia waste?
Doth Clarius' harp want strings,
That not a nymph now sings?
Or droop they as disgrac'd,
To see their seats and bowers by chatt'ring pies defac'd?

If hence thy silence be,
As 'tis too just a cause,
Let this thought quicken thee:
Minds that are great and free
Should not on fortune pause;
'Tis crown enough to virtue still, her own applause.

What though the greedy fry
Be taken with false baits
Of worded balladry,
And think it poesy?
They die with their conceits,
And only piteous scorn upon their folly waits.

Then take in hand thy lyre,
Strike in thy proper strain,
With Japhet's line aspire
Sol's chariot for new fire,
To give the world again;
Who aided him will thee, the issue of Jove's brain.

And since our dainty age
Cannot endure reproof,
Make not thyself a page
To that strumpet, the stage,
But sing high and aloof,
Safe from the wolf's black jaw and the dull ass's hoof.

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Type of Poem: Lyric Poem

Date Written:

Date Published:

Language: English

Keywords: Public Domain

Source: Public Domain Collection

Publisher:

Rights/Permissions: Public Domain

Comments/Notes:
This poem is a didactic lyric, offering advice and urging action, particularly addressing the neglect of intellectual pursuits and artistic ambition. The speaker calls upon a poet or artist to awaken from a state of laziness and sloth, warning that knowledge, when left idle, withers and dies. The poem contrasts true intellectual and artistic greatness with the shallow, ephemeral allure of popular art ("worded balladry"), encouraging the addressee to rise above mediocrity.

There are references to classical mythology throughout, such as the Aonian springs (sacred to the Muses), Thespia (a town in Boeotia associated with the arts), Clarius' harp (Apollo's lyre), and Japhet (possibly referring to the ancient lineage of poets). The speaker exhorts the artist to aspire to the divine and noble ("Sol's chariot for new fire"), to seek inspiration from high sources, and to avoid the triviality of popular entertainment, which he likens to serving "that strumpet, the stage."

The poem's didactic tone, moral lesson, and classical allusions make it a form of didactic lyric aimed at inspiring a higher pursuit of knowledge and virtue.