Analysis of Happiness of a Country Life
James Thomson 1700 (Port Glasgow) – 1748 (London)
Oh! knew he but his happiness, of men
The happiest he, who, far from public rage,
Deep in the vale, with a choice few retired
Drinks the pure pleasures of the rural life.
What though the dome be wanting, whose proud gate
Each morning vomits out the sneaking crowd
Of flatt'rers false, and in their turn abused?
Vile intercourse! What though the glitt'ring robe,
Of every hue reflected light can give,
Or floating loose, or stiff with mazy gold -
The pride and gaze of fools! - oppress him not?
What though, from utmost land and sea purvey'd,
For him each rarer tributary life
Bleeds not, and his insatiatic table heaps
With luxury and death? What though his bowl
Flames not with costly juice; nor sunk in beds,
Oft of gay care, he tosses out the night,
Or melts the thoughtless hours in idle state?
What though he knows not those fantastic joys
That still amuse the wanton, still deceive,
A face of pleasure, but a heart of pain;
Their hollow moments undelighted all?
Sure peace is his; a solid life, estranged
From disappointment and fallacious hope,
Rich in content, in Nature's bounty rich,
In herbs and fruits. Whatever greens the spring,
When heaven descends in showers; or bends the bough,
When summer reddens, and when autumn beams;
Or in the wintry glebe whatever lies
Conceal'd, and fattens with the richest sap,
These are not wanting; nor the milky drove,
Luxuriant, spread o'er all the lowing vale;
Nor bleating mountains; nor the chide of streams,
And hum of bees, inviting sleep sincere
Into the guiltless breast, beneath the shade,
Or thrown at large amid the fragrant hay;
Nor aught besides of prospect, grove, or song,
Dim grottos, gleaming lakes, and fountains clear.
Here, too, dwell simple truth, plain innocence,
Unsallied beauty, sound unbroken youth,
Patient of labour, with a little pleased,
Health ever blooming, unambitious toil,
Calm contemplation, and poetic ease.
Scheme | Text too long |
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Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1111110011 01001111101 1001101101 1011010101 1101110111 110110101 111001101 11011011 11001010111 110111111 0101110111 111110101 111101001 11011101 1100011111 1111011101 1111110101 11010100101 1111110101 1101010101 0111010111 1101011 1111010101 101000101 1010010101 010110101 110010101101 110101101 100101101 010110101 1111010101 010011010101 111010111 0111010101 0101010101 1111010101 1101110111 111010101 1111011100 11010101 101110101 1101011 101000101 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,859 |
Words | 323 |
Sentences | 13 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 43 |
Lines Amount | 43 |
Letters per line (avg) | 35 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 1,492 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 321 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:38 min read
- 124 Views
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"Happiness of a Country Life" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/20575/happiness-of-a-country-life>.
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