The Size
Be Content with Little
The heart is urged to be content with modest joys, trusting that greater inheritance awaits in heaven.
Be content, greedy heart. Modest and moderate joys are wonderful for those who have a claim to more hereafter, once they leave this life.12 Let the upper springs descend and fall into the low places, and let yourself flow as well.3 So what if some people have a cargo of cloves and nutmegs, and sail in cinnamon?4 If you have enough to season a cup when sorrows press hard, and for the time to come you're heir to the Isle of Spices—isn't that fair?5
The Folly of Fullness in Both Worlds
Christ’s own hunger rebukes the desire for earthly fullness, and the logical absurdities of clinging to both present and eternal joys are exposed.
To be full in both worlds is more than God was, who went hungry here.6 Would you annul his fasting laws?7 Make good cheer the law?8 Spend your joy freely, but still hope to keep it?9 Would you both eat your cake and have it too?
Great Joys Deferred, Little Joys Sustaining
Great joys arrive all at once in heaven, while small joys here sustain the pilgrim and restore health, as Christ himself condemned excessive joy in the flesh.
Great joys come all at once, but little ones hold something back for more. The former already have what they hoped for; the latter renounce what they have and live on credit. The former are already home; the latter keep traveling and find their rest on Zion's hill.✦10 Your Savior condemned joy, judging it unfit in the flesh—at least in large amounts, since that often destroys; whereas a little bit draws us toward hope for more and restores health for the present.✦11
The Lean Christian's Vigor
The Christian condition is lean and active, not fat; moderation guards against losing everything, for comforts are never given according to merit.
A Christian's condition isn't a fat, well-fed strength, but a thin and lean one—yet still active. Its long, bony face seems equally split between contentment and care, like a suitor, not a bride.12 So sit down, good heart; don't grasp at much, for fear you'll lose it all. If comforts came only according to what we deserve, great frosts and snows would destroy them: for we would be counting the time since the last joy.1314
The Dream of Tears and Heaven
Close the opening you have made; do not hope for great earthly things, but remember that this world is a sea of tears and heaven is the only haven.
Then close again the seam you've opened: don't spread your robe in hope of great things. Call to mind your dream: an earthly globe on whose meridian was engraved, These seas are tears, and heaven the haven.
Read the original English
COntent thee, greedie heart. Modest and moderate joyes to those, that have Title to more hereafter when they part, Are passing brave. Let th’ upper springs into the low Descend and fall, and thou dost flow.
What though some have a fraught Of cloves and nutmegs, and in cinamon sail? If thou hast wherewithall to spice a draught, When griefs prevail, And for the future time art heir To th’ Isle of spices, is’t not fair?
To be in both worlds full Is more then God was, who was hungrie here. Wouldst thou his laws of fasting disanull? Enact good cheer? Lay out thy joy, yet hope to save it? Wouldst thou both eat thy cake, and have it?
Great joyes are all at once; But little do reserve themselves for more; Those have their hopes; these what they have renounce, And live on score: Those are at home; these journey still, And meet the rest on Sions hill.
Thy Saviour sentenc’d joy, And in the flesh condemn’d it as unfit, At least in lump: for such doth oft destroy; Whereas a bit Doth tice us on to hopes of more, And for the present health restore.
A Christians state and case Is not a corpulent, but a thinne and spare, Yet active strength: whose long and bonie face Content and care Do seem to equally divide, Like a pretender, not a bride.
Wherefore sit down, good heart; Grasp not at much, for fear thou losest all. If comforts fell according to desert, They would great frosts and snows destroy: For we should count, Since the last joy.
Then close again the seam, Which thou hast open'd: do not spread thy robe In hope of great things. Call to minde thy dream, An earthly globe, On whose meridian was engraven, These seas are tears, and heav'n the haven.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Heb.12.22 — But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels,
- ↩Isa.53.3 — He was despised and rejected by people, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; like one from whom people hide their faces, he was despised, and we did not regard him.
Notes
- 1 ↩Source 'passing brave' is Early Modern intensifier + 'fine/splendid'; rendered as 'wonderfully fine' rather than modern 'brave' (courageous).
- 2 ↩'Title to more' is a claim/right of inheritance, not a book-title sense.
- 3 ↩Image of high springs pouring into lower ground: if higher gifts descend into lowliness/moderation, the heart itself becomes a living stream.
- 4 ↩Early modern 'fraught' means a ship's freight or cargo, not modern 'fraught with' (laden with anxiety).
- 5 ↩'Spice a draught' keeps Herbert's image of seasoning a bitter drink of grief; the 'Isle of spices' is the future inheritance of joy, not a literal place.
- 6 ↩Source 'then' is Early Modern spelling for 'than'; rendered as comparative 'than'.
- 7 ↩Source 'disanull' is a period spelling of 'disannul' (cancel/make void).
- 8 ↩'Good cheer' here means feasting and high living, not mere cheerfulness; 'enact' keeps the legal force of setting it up as a rule.
- 9 ↩'Lay out' is taken in the spend/expend sense (as money laid out), which fits the poem's economy of joy.
- 10 ↩Early modern 'live on score' means live on credit / on the tab—present joy deferred, not settled in full now.
- 11 ↩Early Modern 'in lump' means wholesale / all at once (bulk), not a physical lump; 'tice' is an archaic form of 'entice'.
- 12 ↩Herbert pairs pretender with bride: not an impostor, but a claimant/suitor who hopes without full possession, set against the bride who has already attained the joy.
- 13 ↩desert = desert/merit (what is deserved), not wasteland.
- 14 ↩Early modern poetic inversion: 'They would great frosts and snows destroy' is read as 'great frosts and snows would destroy them' (the comforts), not as comforts melting the cold.
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