"A Contented Minde
"I waigh not Fortunes frowne or smile,I joy not much in earthly joyes,I seeke not state, I reake not stile,I am not fond of fancies Toyes:I rest so pleased with what I have,I wish no more, no more I crave.
"I quake not at the Thunders crack,I tremble not at noise of warre,I swound not at the newes of wrack,I shrink not at a Blazing Starre;I feare not losse, I hope not gaine;I envie none, I none disdaine.
"I see ambition never pleas'd,I see some Tantals starv'd in store,I see golds dropsie seldome eas'd,I see even Midas gape for more:I neither want, nor yet abound,Enough's a feast, content is crown'd.
"I faine not friendship where I hate,I fawne not on the great (in show)I prize, I praise a meane estate,Neither too lofty nor too low:This, this is all my choice, my cheere,
My minde to me a kingdome is;Such perfect joy therein I findeAs farre exceeds all earthly blisse,That God or Nature hath assignde:Though much I want, that most would have,Yet still my mind forbids to crave.
Content I live, this is my stay;I seek no more than may suffice:I presse to beare no haughtie sway;Look what I lack my mind supplies.Loe! thus I triumph like a king,Content with that my mind doth bring.
I see how plentie surfets oft,And hastie clymbers soonest fall;I see that such as sit aloftMishap doth threaten most of all:These get with toile, and keep with feare:Such cares my mind could never beare.
No princely pompe, nor welthie store,No force to winne the victorie,No wylie wit to salve a sore,No shape to winne a lovers eye;To none of these I yeeld as thrall,For why my mind despiseth all.
Some have too much, yet still they crave,I little have, yet seek no more:They are but poore, tho' much they have;And I am rich with little store:They poor, I rich; they beg, I give;They lacke, I lend; they pine, I live.
I laugh not at anothers losse,I grudge not at anothers gaine;No worldly wave my mind can tosse,I brooke that is anothers bane:I feare no foe, nor fawne on friend;I lothe not life, nor dread mine end.
I joy not in no earthly blisse;I weigh not Cresus' welth a straw;For care, I care not what it is;I feare not fortunes fatall law:My mind is such as may not moveFor beautie bright or force of love.
I wish but what I have at will;I wander not to seeke for more,I like the plaine, I clime no hill;In greatest stormes I sitte on shore,And laugh at them that toile in vaineTo get what must be lost againe.
I kisse not where I wish to kill;I feigne not love where most I hate;I breake no sleep to winne my will;I wayte not at the mighties gate;I scorne no poore, I feare no rich;I feele no want, nor have too much.
The court, ne cart, I like, ne loath;Extreames are counted worst of all:The golden meane betwixt them both,Doth surest sit, and fears no fall:This is my choyce, for why I finde,No wealth is like a quiet minde.
My welth is health, and perfect ease;My conscience clere my chiefe defence:I never seeke by brybes to please,Nor by desert to give offence:Thus do I live, thus will I die;Would all did so as well as I!
Words in this poem 21
- stile n.
- A pin set on the face of a dial, to cast a shadow; a style. See Style. Moxon. [See Style.]
- crave v. t.
- To ask with earnestness or importunity; to ask with submission or humility; to beg; to entreat; to beseech; to implore. [AS. crafian; akin to Icel. krefia, Sw. kr, Dan. kr.]
- wrack n.
- Wreck; ruin; destruction. [OE. wrak wreck. See Wreck.]
- starre n.
- One of the innumerable luminous bodies seen in the heavens; any heavenly body other than the sun, moon, comets, and nebulæ. [OE. sterre, AS. steorra; akin to OFries. stera, OS. sterro, D. ster, OHG. sterno, sterro, G. stern, Icel. stjarna, Sw. stjerna, Dan. stierne, Goth. staírno, Arm]
- losse n.
- Praise. See Loos.
- envie v. i.
- To vie; to emulate; to strive. [See Vie.]
- midas n.
- A genus of longeared South American monkeys, including numerous species of marmosets. See Marmoset. [So called from L. Midas, a man fabled to have had ass's ears.]
- farre n.
- A young pig, or a litter of pigs. [See Farrow.]
- suffice v. i.
- To be enough, or sufficient; to meet the need (of anything); to be equal to the end proposed; to be adequate. [OE. suffisen, OF. soufire, F. suffire (cf. suffisant, p.pr.), L. sufficere to put under, to substitute, to avail for, to suffice; sub under + facere to make. Se]
- mishap v. i.
- To happen unluckily; -- used impersonally.
- winne v. t.
- To gain by superiority in competition or contest; to obtain by victory over competitors or rivals; as, to win the prize in a gate; to win money; to win a battle, or to win a country. [OE. winnen, AS. winnan to strive, labor, fight, endure; akin to OFries. winna, OS. winnan, D. winnen to win, gain, G. gewinnen, OHG. winnan to strive, struggle,]
- bane v. t.
- To be the bane of; to ruin. Fuller.
- fatall a.
- Proceeding from, or appointed by, fate or destiny; necessary; inevitable. [L. fatalis, fr. fatum: cf. F. fatal. See Fate.]
- clime n.
- A climate; a tract or region of the earth. See Climate. [L. clima. See Climate.]
- sitte
- obs. 3d pers. sing. pres. of Sit, for sitteth.
- loath a.
- Hateful; odious; disliked. [OE. looth, loth, AS. la hostile, odious; akin to OS. l, G. leid, Icel. lei, Sw. led, G. leiden to suffer, OHG. lidan to suffer, go, cf. AS. li to go, Goth. leip]
- betwixt prep.
- In the space which separates; between. [OE. betwix, bitwix, rarely bitwixt, AS. betweox, betweohs, betweoh, betwih; pref. be- by + a form fr. AS. twa two. See Between.]
- wealth n.
- Weal; welfare; prosperity; good. [OE. welthe, from wele; cf. D. weelde luxury. See Weal prosperity.]
- conscience n.
- Knowledge of one's own thoughts or actions; consciousness. [F. conscience, fr. L. conscientia, fr. consciens, p.pr. of conscire to know, to be conscious; con- + scire to know. See Science.]
- defence n.
- The act of defending, or the state of being defended; protection, as from violence or danger. [F. défense, OF. defense, fem., defens, masc., fr. L. defensa (cf. Fence.]
- offence n.
- The act of offending in any sense; esp., a crime or a sin, an affront or an injury. [F., fr. L. offensa. See Offend.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
"A Contented Minde is in the public domain. This text is taken from Reliques of Ancient English Poetry, Volume 1 (of 3) Consisting of Old Heroic Ballads, Songs and Other Pieces of Our Earlier Poets Together With Some Few of Later Date, Project Gutenberg ebook #45939; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Thomas Percy, "A Contented Minde, in Reliques of Ancient English Poetry, Volume I (1765), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #45939, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/percy-reliques/a-contented-minde.html, id L08552.
Form and metre
"A Contented Minde is 89 lines in 15 stanzas. The commonest rhyme scheme is ABABCC, in 7 of the 15 stanzas; the rest vary or could not be confirmed. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 92%). 99% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 8.0 syllables.
See other poems in iambic tetrameter.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 1 ABABCC smileA · joyesB · stileA · toyesB · haveC · craveC
- 2 A-A-BB crackA · warre · wrackA · starre · gaineB · disdaineB
- 3 ABABCC pleas'dA · storeB · eas'dA · moreB · aboundC · crown'dC
- 4 ABAB- hateA · showB · estateA · lowB · cheere
- 5 ----AA is · finde · blisse · assignde · haveA · craveA
- 6 A-A-BB stayA · suffice · swayA · supplies · kingB · bringB
- 7 ABABCC oftA · fallB · aloftA · allB · feareC · beareC
- 8 A-A-BB storeA · victorie · soreA · eye · thrallB · allB
- 9 ABABCC craveA · moreB · haveA · storeB · giveC · liveC
- 10 A-A-BB losseA · gaine · tosseA · bane · friendB · endB
- 11 -A-ABB blisse · strawA · is · lawA · moveB · loveB
- 12 ABABCC willA · moreB · hillA · shoreB · vaineC · againeC
- 13 ABAB-- killA · hateB · willA · gateB · rich · much
- 14 ABABCC loathA · allB · bothA · fallB · findeC · mindeC
- 15 ABABCC easeA · defenceB · pleaseA · offenceB · dieC · iC
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against iambic tetrameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| "I waigh not Fortunes frowne or smile, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| I joy not much in earthly joyes, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| I seeke not state, I reake not stile, | 8 | ········ |
| I am not fond of fancies Toyes: | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| I rest so pleased with what I have, | 8 | ········ |
| I wish no more, no more I crave. | 8 | ········ |
| "I quake not at the Thunders crack, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| I tremble not at noise of warre, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| I swound not at the newes of wrack, | 8 | ········ |
| I shrink not at a Blazing Starre; | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| I feare not losse, I hope not gaine; | 8 | ········ |
| I envie none, I none disdaine. | 8 | ·˘/····· |
| "I see ambition never pleas'd, | 8 | ··˘/˘/˘· |
| I see some Tantals starv'd in store, | 8 | ········ |
| I see golds dropsie seldome eas'd, | 8 | ········ |
| I see even Midas gape for more: | 8 | ··//˘··· |
| I neither want, nor yet abound, | 8 | ·/˘···˘/ |
| Enough's a feast, content is crown'd. | 8 | ˘/··˘/·· |
| "I faine not friendship where I hate, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| I fawne not on the great (in show) | 8 | ········ |
| I prize, I praise a meane estate, | 8 | ······˘/ |
| Neither too lofty nor too low: | 8 | /˘·/˘··· |
| This, this is all my choice, my cheere, | 8 | ········ |
| My minde to me a kingdome is; | 8 | ········ |
| Such perfect joy therein I finde | 8 | ·˘/····· |
| As farre exceeds all earthly blisse, | 8 | ··˘/·/˘· |
| That God or Nature hath assignde: | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Though much I want, that most would have, | 8 | ········ |
| Yet still my mind forbids to crave. | 8 | ····˘/·· |
| Content I live, this is my stay; | 8 | /˘······ |
| I seek no more than may suffice: | 8 | ······˘/ |
| I presse to beare no haughtie sway; | 8 | ········ |
| Look what I lack my mind supplies. | 8 | ······˘/ |
| Loe! thus I triumph like a king, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Content with that my mind doth bring. | 8 | /˘······ |
| I see how plentie surfets oft, | 8 | ········ |
| And hastie clymbers soonest fall; | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| I see that such as sit aloft | 8 | ······˘/ |
| Mishap doth threaten most of all: | 8 | /··/˘··· |
| These get with toile, and keep with feare: | 9 | ········· |
| Such cares my mind could never beare. | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| No princely pompe, nor welthie store, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| No force to winne the victorie, | 8 | ········ |
| No wylie wit to salve a sore, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| No shape to winne a lovers eye; | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| To none of these I yeeld as thrall, | 8 | ········ |
| For why my mind despiseth all. | 8 | ····˘/˘· |
| Some have too much, yet still they crave, | 8 | ········ |
| I little have, yet seek no more: | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| They are but poore, tho' much they have; | 8 | ········ |
| And I am rich with little store: | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| They poor, I rich; they beg, I give; | 8 | ········ |
| They lacke, I lend; they pine, I live. | 8 | ········ |
| I laugh not at anothers losse, | 8 | ····˘/˘· |
| I grudge not at anothers gaine; | 8 | ····˘/˘· |
| No worldly wave my mind can tosse, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| I brooke that is anothers bane: | 8 | ····˘/˘· |
| I feare no foe, nor fawne on friend; | 8 | ········ |
| I lothe not life, nor dread mine end. | 8 | ········ |
| I joy not in no earthly blisse; | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| I weigh not Cresus' welth a straw; | 8 | ········ |
| For care, I care not what it is; | 8 | ········ |
| I feare not fortunes fatall law: | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| My mind is such as may not move | 8 | ········ |
| For beautie bright or force of love. | 8 | ········ |
| I wish but what I have at will; | 8 | ········ |
| I wander not to seeke for more, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| I like the plaine, I clime no hill; | 8 | ········ |
| In greatest stormes I sitte on shore, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| And laugh at them that toile in vaine | 9 | ········· |
| To get what must be lost againe. | 8 | ········ |
| I kisse not where I wish to kill; | 8 | ········ |
| I feigne not love where most I hate; | 8 | ········ |
| I breake no sleep to winne my will; | 8 | ········ |
| I wayte not at the mighties gate; | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| I scorne no poore, I feare no rich; | 8 | ········ |
| I feele no want, nor have too much. | 9 | ········· |
| The court, ne cart, I like, ne loath; | 8 | ········ |
| Extreames are counted worst of all: | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| The golden meane betwixt them both, | 8 | ·/˘·˘/·· |
| Doth surest sit, and fears no fall: | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| This is my choyce, for why I finde, | 8 | ········ |
| No wealth is like a quiet minde. | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| My welth is health, and perfect ease; | 8 | ·····˘/· |
| My conscience clere my chiefe defence: | 8 | ·/˘···˘/ |
| I never seeke by brybes to please, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Nor by desert to give offence: | 8 | ··˘/··˘/ |
| Thus do I live, thus will I die; | 8 | ········ |
| Would all did so as well as I! | 8 | ········ |
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