Selected Poem - 'The Size'

In George Herbert's time, a size was a ration of food and drink given to university undergraduates. It enabled those from poorer backgrounds too study, and so he would have met a diverse range of students in at Trinity College, Cambridge.

The Size

Content thee, greedie heart.
Modest and moderate joyes to those, that have
Title to more hereafter when they part,
Are passing brave.
Let th’ upper springs into the low
Descend and fall, and thou dost flow.

What though some have a fraught
Of cloves and nutmegs, and in cinamon sail;
If thou hast wherewithall to spice a draught,
When griefs prevail;
And for the future time art heir
To th’ Isle of spices, is ’t not fair?

To be in both worlds full
Is more then God was, who was hungrie here.
Wouldst thou his laws of fasting disanull?
Enact good cheer?
Lay out thy joy, yet hope to save it?
Wouldst thou both eat thy cake, and have it?

Great joyes are all at once;
But little do reserve themselves for more:
Those have their hopes; these what they have renounce,
And live on score:
Those are at home; these journey still,
And meet the rest on Sions hill.2

Thy Saviour sentenc’d joy,
And in the flesh condemn’d it as unfit,
At least in lump: for such doth oft destroy;
Whereas a bit
Doth tice us on to hopes of more,
And for the present health restore.

A Christians state and case
Is not a corpulent, but a thinne and spare,
Yet active strength: whose long and bonie face
Content and care
Do seem to equally divide,
Like a pretender, not a bride.

Wherefore sit down, good heart;
Grasp not at much, for fear thou losest all.
If comforts fell according to desert,
They would great frosts and snows destroy:
For we should count, Since the last joy.

Then close again the seam,
Which thou hast open’d: do not spread thy robe
In hope of great things. Call to minde thy dream,
And earthly globe,
On whose meridian was engraven,
These seas are tears, and heav’n the haven.

Commentary

In this poem, the term 'size' is used as a metaphor for the spiritual condition, with modesty, contentment and self-discipline being qualities that Herbert values, and which were to be the foundation of his priestly ministry.

As the first line shows, Herbert is addressing himself in this poem and we gain insights into his priorities. He values his relationship with God more than earthly riches or advancement; ambition needs to be restrained, and the long term takes precedence over the immediate. He even says that a Christian should be 'thin and spare', with a 'long and bony face', and we can decide whether he lived up to that recommendation in the images we have of him.

 

Each stanza except the next to last rotates around a short central line marshalling and focussing the argument. The change here signals that we are about to reach a conclusion. Herbert's metaphors range from the homespun ('both eat thy cake and have it') to the cosmic ('an earthly globe'), the sheer variety demonstrating his ability with language.

The poem concludes on a haunting and dramatic note: be content with modest aspirations, keep life in perspective and, in facing pressures and responsibilities, don't lose sight of the Christian future hope. The tone is suggetsive of someone who has learned some lessons, and moves forward with caution.

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