H A P P I N E S S

 

H A P P I N E S S

Happiness is a poem by  Emily Perkins  Bissell,  an American social worker and activist  (May 31, 1861-March 8, 1948) who wrote under the pseudonym Priscilla Leonard.

She was born in Wilmington, Delaware, where , at very young age, she became famous for establishing in the city its first public kindergarten and  for introducing in the state the child labour laws. According to her biographers,  in 1883 , she founded an organization, currently known as the West End Neighbourhood House to render social services to German families and immigrant Irish of Wilmington.

HAPPINESS is one of her best- known inspirational poems. It reads as follows:

HAPPINESS is like a crystal

Fair and exquisite and clear,

Broken in a million pieces

Shattered, scattered far and near.

Now and then along life’s pathway,

Lo! Some shining fragments fall;

But there are so many pieces

No one ever finds them all.

 

You may find a bit of beauty,

Or an honest share of wealth,

While another just beside you

Gathers honor, love or health.

Vain to choose or grasp unduly,

Broken is the perfect ball;

And there are so many pieces

No one ever finds them all.

 

Yet the wise as on they journey

Treasure every fragment clear,

Fit them as they may together,

Imaging the shattered sphere,

Learning ever to be thankful

Though their share of it is small;

For it has so many pieces

No one ever finds them all.

           

            Happiness, which is the theme of this poem, has no definite meaning.  It is lexically described as cheerfulness, high spirits, carefreeness, euphoria, ecstasy, merriment and bliss. There are many more descriptions.  For example, a happy man is expected to be a  pleased, delighted, gratified, satisfied , fortunate or  contented man. On  the basis of such expectation, some social scientists and philosophers assert that the existence of happiness is an illusion; the reality is  its ceaseless pursuit.

 

All the states of happiness listed above are transitory. They go on changing. AS the English novelist  Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) said happiness is an occasional episode in a general drama of pain;  and American author Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-64) says: “Happiness in this world , when it comes, comes incidentally,--Make it  the object of pursuit, and it leads us a wild-goose chase, and is never attained.

           

Priscilla Leonard’s poem begins like this:

           

Happiness is like a crystal,

            Fair and exquisite and clear,

            Broken in a million pieces,

            Shattered, scattered far and near.

            Now and then along life’s pathway,

            Lo! Some shining fragments fall,

            But there are so many pieces

            No one ever finds them all.

 

English biographer John Aiken (1747-1822)  echoes this idea in these words:  The sunshine of life is made up of very little beams that are bright all the time.” Add to this the words of John Porter, American authoress (Born 1960): “Happiness is a sunbeam which may pass through a thousand bosoms without losing a particle of its original ray; nay, when it strikes on a kindred heart, like the converged light or a mirror, it reflects itself with redoubled brightness. It is not perfected till it is shared. “           

 

For Priscilla happiness is a collective noun comparable to a crystal ball which is not only blear but also fair and exquisite.  In its shattered and scattered shape, one can see its million pieces along life’s pathway. These pieces symbolise various sources of happiness like beauty, love, honour, health and wealth and many more.  However, no human being can collect all these pieces and make them his own exclusive share.  The pieces of this ball are meant to be shared by the entire humanity.

 

The metaphor of crystal ball selected  by Priscilla has spiritual significance. Whereas the crystal ball  is used to make predictions, it also  registers its presence on many pious  occasions like weddings and sacred celebrations. It is therefore a divine gift for which man should be readily grateful. What Priscilla intends to say is that health and happiness, love and beauty, honour and fame are bestowed by God , in whatever measure,  and it is the religious duty of man to express his gratitude to God.  The wise, says she, treasure every fragment clear…learning ever to be thankful, though their share of it is small, for it has so many pieces no one ever finds them all.      

 

 Finally, the following words of French philosopher, Blaise Pascal (1623-63): ”Happiness is neither within us only, or without us, it is the union of ourselves with God.“

 

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3^rd August 2021                                                                                  G. R. Kanwal