Page 102 - English Expedition Class 6

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The Miller of the Dee 2
1

Charles Mackay

What is the key to happiness? Wealth, power and fame, or the richness of heart, love, simplicity and
kindness to others?

Let’s read the poem to know how these questions are answered.

3
Th ere dwelt a miller, hale and bold,
Beside the river Dee;
He worked and sang from morn till night,
4
No lark more blithe than he;
5
And this the burden of his song
Forever used to be:
‘I envy nobody – no, not I –
And nobody envies me!’

6
‘Th ou’rt wrong, my friend,’ said good King Hal,
‘As wrong as wrong can be;
For could my heart be light as thine,
I’d gladly change with thee.
And tell me now, what makes thee sing,
With voice so loud and free,
While I am sad, though I am king,
Beside the river Dee?’

1 miller: the person who owns or works in a mill
which grinds grain into fl our
2 The river Dee fl ows through both England and
Wales, forming a natural border between the
two countries.
3 hale: strong and healthy
4 blithe: merry; carefree
5 burden: (here) a repeated line in a poem or song,
conveying its main theme or message
6 thou’rt: thou art, meaning you are
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