To My Dear and Loving Husband by Anne Bradstreet
In this deeply personal and moving poem, Anne Bradstreet writes lovingly of her husband.
To My Dear and Loving Husband
by Anne Bradstreet
1 If ever two were one, then surely we.
2 If ever man were lov’d by wife, then thee.
3 If ever wife was happy in a man,
4 Compare with me, ye women, if you can.
5 I prize thy love more than whole Mines of gold
6 Or all the riches that the East doth hold.
7 My love is such that Rivers cannot quench,
8 Nor ought but love from thee give recompence.
9 Thy love is such I can no way repay.
10 The heavens reward thee manifold, I pray.
11 Then while we live, in love let’s so persevere
12 That when we live no more, we may live ever.
Back to Anne Bradstreet poetry index
Anne Bradstreet (1612 – 1672) was an early English Puritan poet and the first writer in England’s North American colonies to be published. She was the mother of eight children, and her wide body of poetry tends to focus on motherhood, the sufferings of life, and her Puritan faith.
You’ll study Bradstreet as part of EIL Unit 3 (American Literature)
