Named source · 1616

To Celia Quotes by Ben Jonson: Context & Meanings

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Drink to me only with thine eyes, And I will pledge with mine;

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“Drink to me only with thine eyes, And I will pledge with mine;”

Ben Jonson

Meaning & context

Jonson’s lyric speaker imagines exchanged looks as a sufficient pledge of affection, replacing an ordinary drinking toast with an idealized form of intimacy.

Source details

“To Celia,” first published in The Forest in 1616. The couplet belongs to a stylized Renaissance love lyric whose imagery develops through wine, nectar, kisses and a returned wreath.

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