Ode on solitude
Alexander Pope’s poem “Ode on Solitude” was composed 1700, when the poet was only 12 years old. It seems to be the earliest extant poem by Pope.
Alexander Pope was born on 21 May 1688 in London, England, and he died on 30 May 1744 in Twickenham, Middlesex, England, at the age of 56.A poet, translator, and satirist, Pope was one of the most prominent English poets of the Enlightenment era and an exponent of Augustan literature. He is best known for his satirical and discursive poetry including The Rape of the Lock, The Dunciad, and An Essay on Criticism, and for his translation of Homer.
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Happy the man, whose wish and care A few paternal acres bound, Content to breathe his native air, In his own ground.
Whose herds with milk, whose fields with bread, Whose flocks supply him with attire, Whose trees in summer yield him shade, In winter fire.
Blest, who can unconcernedly find Hours, days, and years slide soft away, In health of body, peace of mind, Quiet by day,
Sound sleep by night; study and ease, Together mixed; sweet recreation; And innocence, which most does please, With meditation.
Thus let me live, unseen, unknown; Thus unlamented let me die; Steal from the world, and not a stone Tell where I lie.