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There dwelt a miller, hale and bold,
Beside the river Dee;
He worked and sang from morn till night -
No lark more blithe than he;
And this the burden of his song
Forever used to be:
'I envy nobody - no, not I -
And nobody envies me!'
'Thou'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?'
The miller smiled and doffed his cap,
'I earn my bread,' quoth he;
'I love my wife, I love my friend,
I love my children three;
I owe no penny I can not pay,
I thank the river Dee,
That turns the mill that grinds the corn
That feeds my babes and me.'
'Good friend,' said Hall, and sighed the while,
'Farewell, and happy be;
But say no more, if thou'dst be true,
That no one envies thee;
Thy mealy cap is worth my crown,
Thy mill my kingdom's fee;
Such men as thou are England's boast,
O miller of the Dee!
Charles Mackay
Summary
In England beside the river Dee, there lived a miller. From early morning to late in the night, he worked and happily sang songs to amuse himself. Even a skylarks (who is known to be a symbol of the joyous spirit of the divine) happiness fades in comparison to his. His song always would say that he never envied anyone, and nor did anyone envy him.
One day as the miller was singing his song, the king of England, Hal passed him. He was surprised to hear the miller say that no one envied him and said that he was completely wrong, and could the kings heart be as light as the miller, he would gladly exchange positions with the miller. The king said this as his precious crown brings about a lot of worries and troubles along with it, and his palace was just a source of distress and tension for him. Therefore, the king longs to live a life like the miler and hence envied him. The king asked the miller that what made him sing happily in such a loud and free voice while he being the king was so sad. At this, the miller smiled and took of his cap and said that he earned his bread, loved his wife, loved his friend, loved his three children, he owed no penny that he could not pay, and for this, he thanked the river Dee that turned the mill to grind his corn which fed his family and him.