Content
Stay Within Your Walls
The soul is called to find peace by remaining within its own bounds and not chasing after every desire.
Hush, muttering thoughts, and don't resent staying within the walls of your own heart. Whoever can't sleep well in his own bed can barely rest in another's. Don't wander off at every pull and call of an untrained hope or passion. To court every place or fortune that falls your way is wantonness in contemplation.1
The Hidden Fire
Like fire in flint, true virtue is content in obscurity, and the pliant soul can adapt to any station while remaining secure in God.
Notice how the fire lies quiet in flint, content and warm to itself alone. But when it would appear to others' eyes, without a knock it never shone. Give me the pliant mind, whose gentle measure fits and suits every station of life — which can open freely to a crown, and yet with pleasure take its place within a cloister's gates. This soul spans the world, and hangs content from either pole to the center: where, in every room of the well-furnished tent, he lies warm, and without risk.2
The Folly of Fame
Worldly fame is fleeting and after death all are equal; it is better to be forgotten by men than to have one's name eternally gnawed by vanity.
The boasts of life are only a nine days' wonder; and after death, the fumes that rise from an ordinary person make as much noise as those that rise from a great king. Only your chronicle is lost—and yet it's better for everything to be consumed once by worms than to have hellish moths keep gnawing and fretting your name in books that cannot be torn away.3 When all your deeds, whose full weight you alone feel, are chewed over by other people's pens and tongues; and as their wit is, so is their digestion: your nourished fame is weak or strong.4
Find Yourself
The soul is urged to cease striving and to seek itself, for in finding oneself one finds true happiness.
So stop arguing, soul; till your own ground. Don't press yourself or your friends.5 Whoever by seeking has once found himself has forever found a happy fortune.
Read the original English
PEace mutt'ring thoughts, and do not grudge to keep Within the walls of your own breast. Who cannot on his own bed sweetly sleep, Can on anothers hardly rest.
Gad not abroad at ev'ry quest and call Of an untrained hope or passion. To court each place or fortune that doth fall, Is wantonnesse in contemplation.
Mark how the fire in flints doth quiet lie, Content and warm t' it self alone: But when it would appeare to others eye, Without a knock it never shone.
Give me the pliant minde, whose gentle measure Complies and suits with all estates; Which can let loose to a crown, and yet with pleasure Take up within a cloisters gates.
This soul doth span the world, and hang content From either pole unto the centre: Where in each room of the well-furnisht tent He lies warm, and without adventure.
The brags of life are but a nine dayes wonder; And after death the fumes that spring From private bodies, make as big a thunder, As those which rise from a huge King.
Onely thy Chronicle is lost: and yet Better by worms be all once spent, Then to have hellish moths still gnaw and fret Thy name in books, which may not rent:
When all thy deeds, whose brunt thou feel'st alone, Are chaw'd by others pens and tongue; And as their wit is, their digestion, Thy nourisht fame is weak or strong.
Then cease discoursing soul, till thine own ground, Do not thy self or friends importune. He that by seeking hath himself once found, Hath ever found a happie fortune.
Notes
- 1 ↩Herbert's 'wantonnesse' means restless, self-indulgent lack of discipline, not merely sexual license; kept as 'wantonness' for fidelity to the moral charge against undisciplined contemplation.
- 2 ↩Early modern adventure here means hazard or risk of chance, not thrills or travel; rendered as without risk to keep the sense of settled security.
- 3 ↩Early modern 'rent' is from 'rend' (tear): books that cannot be torn or destroyed, so the attack on your name never ends.
- 4 ↩Source 'brunt' = the force/impact borne by the doer; 'chaw'd' = chewed; 'nourisht fame' = reputation fed and kept up by others' talk. The chewing/digestion metaphor is retained as the poem's governing figure.
- 5 ↩Source 'till thine own ground' can be read as the verb till (cultivate your own plot) or as until/to your own ground. The dual-imperative cultivate reading fits the poem's counsel of contentment and is rendered here.
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