| William Stanley Braithwaite, ed. The Book of Restoration Verse. 1910. | | | | Ode on Solitude | | By Alexander Pope (1688–1744) |
| | | HAPPY the man whose wish and care | |
| A few paternal acres bound, | |
| Content to breathe his native air, | |
| In his own ground. | |
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| Whose herds with milk, whose fields with bread, | 5 |
| Whose flocks supply him with attire; | |
| Whose trees in summer yield him shade, | |
| In winter fire. | |
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| Blest, who can unconcern’dly find | |
| Hours, days, and years slide soft away, | 10 |
| In health of body, peace of mind, | |
| Quiet by day, | |
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| Sound sleep by night; study and ease | |
| Together mixed; sweet recreation; | |
| And innocence, which most does please, | 15 |
| With meditation. | |
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| Thus let me live, unseen, unknown, | |
| Thus unlamented let me die, | |
| Steal from the world, and not a stone | |
| Tell where I lie. | 20 | | | |
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