"Contentment is a gem on earth unknown,
And Perfect Happiness the wizard's stone.’’
The quote above appears in the first stanza of the poem, the moment when the narrator tried to describe the state of the modern man living in a modern and civilized society. Despite the advantages he has in comparison with the rest of the world, the person in question is unhappy and always seems to want more and more. Because of this, contentment and happiness are compared with gems and with mythical objects to suggest just how hard, or even impossible, it is for someone to live a happy and carefree life. The quote also urges the reader to analyze his or her life, and to see if the situation described does not apply to them as well.
"Alas! poor bird, it was soon to prove,
Sweeter than Liberty is Love.’’
The last line in the quote is present at the end of each stanza, be it under different words. However, the main idea remains the same and it serves both as a warning and as an advice for the readers. Both are aimed at women, single, married and to those who might think of leaving their husbands for one reason one another. Women are pushed to remain in their marriages, no matter how unhappy they felt with their situation, being presented with the probable consequences they will have to support as a divorced woman. The core idea was that liberty was something negative, which a person had to give up in favor of comfort.
''Men gluttonous and rich may take
These till they make them ill.''
The poem is a short one, having only eight lines but the message transmitted through it is an extremely clear and deep one. The narrator warns through this poem against materialist by presenting two completely different groups of people. The first group is composed of people who have so much money they can afford to eat everything they want until they get sick. This is an excess the people in the group hope to bring them happiness. But the narrator points out this is not the case and that those who have barely enough to eat are at times a lot more happier than those who can make excesses. Happiness is the result of inner peace and money does not assure it. Both happiness and inner peace are named as being ‘’luxuries’’ in the last line of the poem, the narrator thus wanting to transmit the idea that a happy life does not mean wealth.
