Analysis of A Contented Mind

Joshua Sylvester 1563 (England) – 1618



I weigh not Fortune's frown or smile,
I joy not much in earthly joys;
I seek not state, I reck not style,
I am not fond of fancy's toys;
I rest so pleased with what I have,
I wish no more, no more I crave.
I quake not at the thunder's crack,
I tremble not at noise of war,
I swoon not at the news of wrack,
I shrink not at a blazing star:
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,
I see e'en Midas gape for more.
I neither want, nor yet abound:
Enough's a feast; content is crown'd.
I feign not friendship where I hate,
I fawn not on the great in show,
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.


Scheme ABABCDEFEGHHIFIFJJKLKLMM
Poetic Form
Metre 11110111 11110101 11111111 1111111 11111111 11111111 1111011 11011111 11110111 11110101 11111111 11011101 11010101 1111101 11110101 111110111 11011101 01011011 11110111 11110101 11110101 10110111 11111111 01100101
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 798
Words 169
Sentences 6
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 24
Lines Amount 24
Letters per line (avg) 25
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 606
Words per stanza (avg) 167
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 07, 2023

52 sec read
133

Joshua Sylvester

Joshua Sylvester was an English poet. more…

All Joshua Sylvester poems | Joshua Sylvester Books

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