11 February 2007 | Vol. 6, No. 4
To My Dear and Loving Husband
If ever two were one, then surely we.
If ever man were lov'd by wife, then thee.
If ever wife was happy in a man,
Compare with me, ye women, if you can.
I prize thy love more than whole Mines of gold
Or all the riches that the East doth hold.
My love is such that Rivers cannot quench,
Nor ought but love from thee give recompetence.
Thy love is such I can no way repay.
The heavens reward thee manifold, I pray.
Then while we live, in love let's so persever
That when we live no more, we may live ever.
About the author:
c.1612-1672. Anne Bradstreet was the first published female American poet. Her poems "Upon the Burning of Our House July 10th, 1666" and "To My Dear and Loving Husband" remain widely read and anthologized today. Read more about the life and work of Anne Bradstreet at Wikipedia.
For further reading:
Browse the contents of 42opus Vol. 6, No. 4, where "To My Dear and Loving Husband" ran on February 11, 2007. List other work with these same labels: poetry, classic, love poem, rhyme.
