Ode on Solitude

Ode on Solitude is a poem by Alexander Pope, written when he was twelve years old,[1][2] and widely included in anthologies.

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.

Sound sleep by night; study and ease Together mix'd; 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.