by Henry Wotton, Sir (1568 - 1639)
How happy is he born and taught
Language: English
How happy is he born and taught That serveth not another's will; Whose armour is his honest thought And simple truth his utmost skill; Whose passions not his masters are; Whose soul is still prepared for death, Not tied unto the world with care Of public fame, or private breath; Who envies none that chance doth raise, Or vice; who never understood How deepest wounds are given by praise, Nor rules of state, but rules of good; Who hath his life from rumours freed, Whose conscience is his strong retreat; Whose state can neither flatterers feed, Nor ruin make accusers great; Who God doth late and early pray More of His grace than gifts to lend; And entertains the harmless day With a well-chosen book or friend; -- This man is freed from servile bands Of hope to rise, or fear to fall; Lord of himself, though not of lands; And having nothing, yet hath all.
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Authorship:
- by Henry Wotton, Sir (1568 - 1639), "Character of a Happy Life", first published 1651 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by John Linton Gardner (1917 - 2011), "How happy is he born and taught", op. 36 no. 7, published 1956 [ mixed chorus and piano duet or small orchestra ], from Seven Songs, no. 7, London : Oxford University Press [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2011-01-07
Line count: 24
Word count: 155