XLVII A Contented Mind
I weigh not fortune’s frown or smile;
I joy not much in earthly joys;
I seek not state, I seek not style;
I am not fond of fancy’s toys;
I rest so pleased with what I have, 5
I wish no more, no more I crave.
I quake not at the thunder’s crack;
I tremble not at noise of war;
I swound not at the news of wrack;
I shrink not at a blazing star; 10
I fear not loss, I hope not gain,
I envy none, I none disdain.
I see ambition never pleased;
I see some Tantals starved in store;
I see gold’s dropsy seldom eased; 15
I see e’en Midas gape for more:
I neither want, nor yet abound—
Enough’s a feast, content is crowned.
I feign not friendship, where I hate;
I fawn not on the great in show; 20
I prize, I praise a mean estate—
Neither too lofty nor too low:
This, this is all my choice, my cheer—
A mind content, a conscience clear.
Joshua Sylvester.