TWO POEMS ON HAPPINESS

 

TWO POEMS ON HAPPINESS                 

 

                “Happiness” is defined as an emotional and mental state characterized by feelings of joy, contentment, and satisfaction.

 

            According to a famous dictionary: happiness is a state of well-being and contentment .

            Beyond a fleeting emotion, scientists and psychologists view it as an overall sense of subjective well-being.

 

            Emotional balance, satisfaction with one’s achievements and sound relationships with relatives and associates are important sources of happiness.

 

            Fixation of purpose, identification of one’s social and moral values, and choice of right goals are key factors in one’s state of happiness.  

 

                To put it briefly, happiness is not a gift of God. It is a result of one’s  faultless life style.       

 

            The English poet Alexander Pope (1688-1744) says in his poem The Quiet Life:

 

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.

                                    -----

            To conclude, here are some tips that tell the readers how to be happy:

 

Just to be tender, just to be true;

Just to be glad the whole day through;

Just to be merciful, just to be mild;

Just to be trustful as a child:

Just to be gentle and kind and sweet;

Just to be helpful with willing feet;

Just to be cheery when things go wrong;

Just to drive sadness away with a song;

Whether the hour is dark or bright,

Just to be loyal to God and right !

                                    ********

G.R.Kanwal

23 September 2026