Inventory — Summary

Bed and rose, wine, fire, candle, soap and many other things… Time and trouble give me rain and a hat and I am a sad king.

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The poem starts like a simple list of small pleasures: a bed, a rose, wine, fire, a candle, soap. These are ordinary comforts, the kind that make a home feel warm and lived in. Then the speaker waves at "many other things…", as if the list could go on and on. Life, it seems, has given a lot.

But the tone shifts. "Time and trouble" arrive and add their own gifts: rain and a hat. These are far less cozy, and they suggest weather, aging, and worry. With a hat on and rain falling, the speaker becomes "a sad king."

The phrase is striking because a king should own everything, and the speaker does own plenty. Yet ownership doesn't bring happiness. The mood is quiet, wistful, and a little ironic. The poem seems to say that you can count your blessings and still feel the weight of passing time.

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