Poems about contentment are usually serene and soothing, capturing moments of tranquility, satisfaction, and peace.
The poets often uses gentle rhythms and soothing language to portray a sense of harmony and balance. Such poetry celebrates the joy of simple pleasures and mindful living, invoking a calm happiness within the reader. These poems are a paean to the quiet joys of life, capturing the profound peace that comes from acceptance and gratitude.
‘Days’ by Ralph Waldo Emerson is a short allegorical poem reflecting on the passage of time and the expectations of humans that come and go with it. It is celebrated as one of the best transcendental poems of the 19th century.
Contentment ranks high on the list of emotions. From the narrator's tone and mood down to their thoughts and actions, it is obvious the speaker is relaxed. They calmly observe and relate the scene before them to their audience, unbothered by how active everyone else is. The speaker's thoughts reveal they are happy to be where they are.
‘A Farewell’ challenges the reader to reflect upon the fleeting nature of human life, especially when compared to nature.
In spite of their keen awareness of their own mortality, the poem's narrator seems content in their situation, aware as they are that all living things fade and die.
Rumi’s ‘The Guest House’ is a didactic poem that asks us to view emotions as separate, fleeting entities, coming and going like visitors.
The speaker is content with the relentless influx of negative emotions, and accepts them as a part of daily life. As readers, we are also encouraged to be content; we might as well be, as we cannot control the emotions that come and go like visitors. Rumi encourages contentment even when one is facing adversity. We must welcome in every emotion indiscriminately, embracing the opportunities for learning and growth that they bring. Rumi shows that contentment is not found in the sole experience of positive emotions, but in finding peace and balance in the opposing waves of emotion that are certain to come.
Kilmer’s ‘Trees’ marvels at nature’s beauty, declaring trees as divine art surpassing human creation, in simple yet profound couplets.
Contentment flows through ‘Trees’, as Kilmer presents the tree as peacefully integrated into its environment: ‘intimately lives with rain.’ The steady rhythm and serene imagery emphasize a harmonious existence, reflecting the poet’s belief in the perfection of God’s design. The poem captures the tranquil balance of life within nature.
‘At Night On The High Sea’ by Hermann Hesse is a bleak but beautiful poem about finding yourself separated from the ones you love, grappling with its strange harmony amidst fears of being forsaken.
An emotion that appears somewhat curiously and surprisingly in the poem is contentment. The poem is framed by these feelings: the opening lines paint a scene in which the sea and stars help "free" the speaker from all activity and love, while its closing ones end with the "sea peacefully [gazing] back, silent."
In Olga Broumas’s ‘Calypso,’ the speaker conjures up a dreamy world, imagining sensual women to fulfill her sexual desires.
The speaker presents a deeper physical and spiritual fulfillment within her imagined world. She conjures up a fantastical realm to achieve contentment through sexual pleasure. The metaphor of a mandala, a spiritual symbol, accentuates the speaker's sense of contentment and the transcendental aspect of her dreamy world. Moreover, the coming of women together like months in a lunar year, with synchronous menses and a shared bond, creates a sense of unity and completeness, evoking the contentment echoed by the mandala earlier in the poem.
‘Crossing the Bar’ by Alfred Lord Tennyson presents the journey from life into death as if calmly advancing into a new phase.
Rather than fear or dread, the poem exudes a quiet contentment. The peaceful imagery of the tide, the sunset, and the "evening bell" reflect a sense of serenity. Tennyson’s acceptance of death and the idea that it’s simply a transition to something better brings a feeling of inner peace, allowing readers to let go of anxiety about the unknown.
Dickinson’s ‘I’m Nobody! Who are you?’ celebrates the nobodies of society while criticizing the mainstream and mocking the somebodies.
While calling the public existence or the constant performative lives of somebodies 'dreary,' the poem hints at the relentless pressure to conform to ideals or archetypes, seeking external validation with no inner peace; such an existence lacks a coherent sense of self with a dependence on external approval, evoking restlessness and anxiety. Conversely, nobodies have a peaceful existence as, instead of constantly performing and conforming, they stay true to their inner selves, knowing their self-worth, and relieved from external pressure, having a confident, assured, authentic sense of self while being content in a chosen pleasurable private realm.
‘Poetry’ by Pablo Neruda captures the moment of the speaker’s first encounter with poetic inspiration that led to a spiritual awakening.
Once the speaker recognizes his inner calling and begins to understand the force of poetry, a new world perspective opens for him, leading to intellectual, spiritual, and creative awakening. With poetry, he finds meaning in his life, as if the universe gave him the purpose. It leads to a metaphysical understanding of the grandeur of the universe and the interconnectedness of his own tiny self within that. Thus, poetry provides existential meaning, connection with the cosmos, and spiritual fulfillment that leads to contentment symbolized by the cosmic imagery and the speaker feeling himself as 'a pure part / of the abyss.'
‘Canal Bank Walk’ explores a spiritual communion with nature, yearning for a pure, unselfconscious connection with the divine.
The poem can create a feeling of contentment due to the calm and contemplative representation of the natural world. The depiction of the ‘leafy-with-love banks’ and the surrounding environment promotes the feeling of calmness and satisfaction. The speaker’s interaction with nature and the subsequent spiritual rebirth results in inner tranquility and contentment.
Leafy-with-love banks and the green waters of the canal
Pouring redemption for me, that I do
The will of God, wallow in the habitual, the banal,
Shelley’s ‘Hymn to Intellectual Beauty’ is a meditation on the spirit of beauty that bestows spiritual awakening, meaning, and transcendental truth.
The poem suggests the ultimate contentment rooted in spiritual enlightenment and life's deeper meaning. The speaker attained momentary glimpses of such contentment when he encountered the spirit of beauty and thereafter yearned for the spiritual fulfillment and the ensuing contentment the spirit of beauty bestows. Thus, contentment is romantic and elusive in the poem, yet the speaker chases it and devotes his life to continuing his spiritual quest sustained by the momentary emotion he once felt during boyhood, implying the intense calmness and satisfaction the emotion yields.
‘Emmonsail’s Heath in Winter’ by John Clare is a beautiful nature poem that describes a specific area in Northamptonshire in winter. The poem focuses on plants and birds.
The speaker's tone is contented throughout the poem. It's clear he cares a great deal about this landscape and that, while exploring it, he feels at peace.
‘Marina’ presents the joy of the spiritual awakening of a lost individual, offering hope to the readers living in a desolate modern world.
'Marina' presents the separation of father and daughter, symbolizing a struggle for meaning. Towards the end, the poem leaves readers content by offering a resolution as the father rediscovers his daughter, symbolizing religious awakening. The reunion ties the poem neatly and leaves readers satisfied evoking contentment.
What seas what shores what grey rocks and what islands
What water lapping the bow
And scent of pine and the woodthrush singing through the fog
‘Over The Brazier’ exposes the fragility inherent to the dreams of three soldiers who hope for peaceful lives after the war.
Ultimately, the men in the poem express a need to find contentment. Everything from the peaceful cottage in the hills and the paradisal island to spending one's life enjoying a new country and wife, Graves' imagery conjures a future for them in which they're satisfied and happy with life. Rather than fearful of their hopes for survival or finding their attempts to persevere stifled by doubt.
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