Summary: “Sympathy” is a short narrative poem by the Scottish poet Charles Mackay (1814–1889). The poem tells the story of the speaker who, at two different low points in his life, receives help from two very different people — a proud, wealthy man and a humble, poor man. The proud man hears of the speaker’s grief and offers him gold, but does so coldly, without a single kind word. The speaker recovers, repays the gold, and thanks the man. Then, in a second episode of suffering, a poor man finds the speaker lying in want, grief, and pain. This man binds his wounds, gives him bread, and watches over him day and night — offering not money, but genuine human care.
The central message of the poem is a contrast between material wealth and human compassion. Gold — money — is something that can be given and returned; it is a transaction. But sympathy, the selfless care that the poor man freely gives, is something the speaker cannot repay in the same way. No amount of gold is equivalent to the warmth of a kind heart. The poet therefore concludes that while gold is great, “heavenly sympathy” is far greater. The word “heavenly” elevates sympathy to a divine quality — something godly and beyond price.
The poem is written in four stanzas of four lines each (quatrains), following a ballad-like structure with an ABCB rhyme scheme. The simple, direct language and the use of contrast as the primary poetic device make the moral lesson accessible and memorable. Charles Mackay uses this poem to remind readers that true kindness — the kind that involves personal sacrifice, time, and emotional warmth — is the highest form of human virtue.
The Poem
by Charles Mackay
I lay in sorrow, deep distressed;
My grief a proud man heard;
His looks were cold, he gave me gold,
But not a kindly word.
My sorrow passed, I paid him back
The gold he gave to me;
Then stood erect and spoke my thanks
And blessed his charity.
I lay in want, and grief, and pain;
A poor man passed my way;
He bound my head, he gave me bread,
He watched me night and day.
How shall I pay him back again
For all he did to me?
Oh, gold is great, but greater far
Is heavenly sympathy.
Word Meanings
Distressed — very unhappy; full of sorrow
Grief — deep sadness or sorrow
Cold (his looks were cold) — unkind; showing no warmth or feeling
Gold — money; wealth
Erect — upright; standing straight
Charity — kind help or assistance given to someone in need
Want — poverty; a state of lacking necessities
Bound (bound my head) — wrapped or bandaged
Bread — food; basic nourishment
Heavenly — godly; of divine goodness; far above ordinary things
Sympathy — understanding and sharing another person’s feelings; compassion
Think and Answer
1. How did the proud person help the poet when the poet was unhappy?
Answer: When the poet was deep in sorrow and distress, a proud man heard of his grief. The proud person helped the poet by giving him gold (money). However, his manner was cold and he did not offer any kind or sympathetic words along with the money.
2. What did the poor man do when he found the poet lying in pain and sadness?
Answer: When the poor man found the poet lying in want, grief, and pain, he did not just pass by. He stopped to help in a very personal and caring way. He bound the poet’s head (bandaged his wounds), gave him bread (food), and watched over him day and night until he recovered. The poor man gave his time, his care, and his sympathy.
3. Why does the poet think that he cannot pay the poor man back in the same way?
Answer: The poet cannot pay the poor man back in the same way because what the poor man gave was not gold or anything material — he gave sympathy, care, time, and love. These are things that cannot be measured or repaid with money. The gold that the proud man gave could be returned — and indeed the poet did return it — but sympathy is a heavenly quality that has no monetary equivalent. That is why the poet asks, “How shall I pay him back again?” — it is a rhetorical question showing that true kindness cannot be repaid in kind.
4. Why is the poor man’s help greater than the proud man’s help?
Answer: The poor man’s help is greater than the proud man’s help because the proud man gave only gold — a material thing that can be given and returned. His manner was cold; there was no feeling or warmth in his help. The poor man, though he had little, gave everything he could: physical care, food, time, and genuine compassion. His help came from the heart. The poet clearly values this selfless, human connection far more than a cold financial transaction. As the last stanza says, “gold is great, but greater far / Is heavenly sympathy.”
5. What does the poet mean by “heavenly sympathy”?
Answer: By “heavenly sympathy,” the poet means that true sympathy — the kind that involves genuine care, warmth, and selfless service — is a godly or divine quality. It is something that goes beyond human transactions and money. The word “heavenly” suggests that such compassion is a blessing from God and belongs to a higher moral order. It is not something that can be bought or sold; it is the purest expression of human kindness.
Appreciate the Poem
A. Choose the correct answer to complete each sentence.
1. The proud man helped the poet by ——
(i) offering him kind words (ii) watching over him (iii) giving him gold (iv) giving him bread
Answer: (iii) giving him gold
2. When the poet lay in want and grief, the one who helped him was ——
(i) a rich man (ii) a poor man (iii) a proud man (iv) a kind friend
Answer: (ii) a poor man
3. The poor man gave the poet ——
(i) gold (ii) kind words only (iii) sympathy and bread (iv) money and food