The Man Who Frets At Worldly Strife
The man who frets at worldly strife
Grows sallow, sour, and thin;
Give us the lad whose happy life
Is one perpetual grin:
He, Midas*-like, turns all to gold -
He smiles when others sigh,
Enjoys alike the hot and cold,
And laughs though wet or dry.
There’s fun in everything we meet, -
The greatest, worst, and best;
Existence is a merry treat,
And every speech a jest:
So, come what may, the man’s in luck
Who turns it all to glee,
And laughing, cries, with honest Puck+,
“Good Lord! what fools ye be.”
By Joseph Rodman Drake
*Midas, commonly known as King Midas, is a character in Greek mythology who had the ‘golden touch’ or ‘Midas Touch,’ meaning that whatever he touched turned into the metal gold, but ultimately the ability was not to his benefit.
+Puck, in this instance ‘honest Puck,’ known also as Robin Goodfellow, is a character in William Shakespeare’s play “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” (1595 - 1596), and is based on the ancient character Puck from English mythology, being a clever, mischievous elf, sprite, or jester, and the very personification of the wise knave.
Joseph Rodman Drake was born on 17 August 1795 in New York City, New York, United States of America. He was married to Sarah Eckford on 21 October 1816. He became a physician and a poet. Joseph Rodman Drake passed on at 25 years of age on 21 September 1820 in Hunts Point, New York, United States of America.
The man who frets at worldly strife
Grows sallow, sour, and thin;
Give us the lad whose happy life
Is one perpetual grin:
He, Midas*-like, turns all to gold -
He smiles when others sigh,
Enjoys alike the hot and cold,
And laughs though wet or dry.
There’s fun in everything we meet, -
The greatest, worst, and best;
Existence is a merry treat,
And every speech a jest:
So, come what may, the man’s in luck
Who turns it all to glee,
And laughing, cries, with honest Puck+,
“Good Lord! what fools ye be.”
By Joseph Rodman Drake
*Midas, commonly known as King Midas, is a character in Greek mythology who had the ‘golden touch’ or ‘Midas Touch,’ meaning that whatever he touched turned into the metal gold, but ultimately the ability was not to his benefit.
+Puck, in this instance ‘honest Puck,’ known also as Robin Goodfellow, is a character in William Shakespeare’s play “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” (1595 - 1596), and is based on the ancient character Puck from English mythology, being a clever, mischievous elf, sprite, or jester, and the very personification of the wise knave.
Joseph Rodman Drake was born on 17 August 1795 in New York City, New York, United States of America. He was married to Sarah Eckford on 21 October 1816. He became a physician and a poet. Joseph Rodman Drake passed on at 25 years of age on 21 September 1820 in Hunts Point, New York, United States of America.
