"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. "
Anne Bradstreet. "To My Dear and Loving Husband". November 1988. March 2008 <http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/webtexts/Bradstreet/bradhyp.htm>.
The speaker in this poem is expressing and even bragging about the love for her husband. Anne uses her signature inflection and rhyming couplets and goes from comparing her love to earthly things like rivers and gold to living forever together after they die.
It is characteristically Puritan because of the valuing of emotions over material things like money and the ever-present faith in God to grant them eternal happiness.
By a Puritan Girl,
Dear Diary,
Father brought Mother a book of poems after he got back from 'public service'. I don't know what 'public service' is, but Father says that I'll know when I'm older. Well the book is by Anne Bradstreet and Mother told me to read one poem a day to help me learn to read.
Anyways, these poems are so good so I'm going to share a few with you, Diary. This one is called "To My Dear and Loving Husband" and I could read most of it by myself. Ms. Bradstreet must have really been attached to her husband if she could write something like this. I've tried writing poems before and they mean a lot to me, but not to anybody else. This is really good poetry because I can feel what she is feeling!
I wonder how many couple God has in heaven right now? Are Mother and Father going to be up there one day? Hopefully not too soon, unless God has more of a need for them than I do.
God's Grace,
Mary
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. "
Anne Bradstreet. "To My Dear and Loving Husband". November 1988. March 2008 <http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/webtexts/Bradstreet/bradhyp.htm>.
By the Student,
The speaker in this poem is expressing and even bragging about the love for her husband. Anne uses her signature inflection and rhyming couplets and goes from comparing her love to earthly things like rivers and gold to living forever together after they die.It is characteristically Puritan because of the valuing of emotions over material things like money and the ever-present faith in God to grant them eternal happiness.
By a Puritan Girl,
Dear Diary,
Father brought Mother a book of poems after he got back from 'public service'. I don't know what 'public service' is, but Father says that I'll know when I'm older. Well the book is by Anne Bradstreet and Mother told me to read one poem a day to help me learn to read.
Anyways, these poems are so good so I'm going to share a few with you, Diary. This one is called "To My Dear and Loving Husband" and I could read most of it by myself. Ms. Bradstreet must have really been attached to her husband if she could write something like this. I've tried writing poems before and they mean a lot to me, but not to anybody else. This is really good poetry because I can feel what she is feeling!
I wonder how many couple God has in heaven right now? Are Mother and Father going to be up there one day? Hopefully not too soon, unless God has more of a need for them than I do.
God's Grace,
Mary
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