What does the lines "let the world's riches, which dispersed lie, contract into a span" mean from this poem?

Question

The lines belong to "the pulley" by george herbert..

Answer 1

Good question.  Herbert's poem is about God bestowing his "bounty", his "riches" on "man"...saying that all the things he's bestowed on the world, contract into a "span", meaning a short measure...in other words, "let man be filled with all the riches of the world"...wisdom, honor, pleasure, etc., but he refused to give him "everything", so that he'd have to work for what he had and yet never achieve it, so that in the end he would worship the gifts' creator instead of the gifts themselves, and in any event, would be so tired from his efforts that in the end he'd still seek the comfort of God.

Answer 2

You will find the complete explanation there:

http://www.luminarium.org/sevenlit/herbe...