Bradstreet, Anne "To my Dear and Loving Husband"
16 Mar 2008 <http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/webtexts/Bradstreet/bradhyp.htm>
If ever two were one, then surely we.
If ever man were loved 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 recompense.
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 persevere
That when we live no more, we may live ever.
Reflection:
The author displays a tone of exaltation, which makes the reader feel that it can overcome the certainty of death and that true love carries on through the ages. Bradstreet's imagery in the poem portrays love in an eloquent style. For example, the following line describes the speaker's appreciation of love, "I prize my love more than whole mines of gold. My love is such that rivers cannot quench" portrays the gratitude of the speaker's husband since she values his life and spirit, and her love for him is infinite. Furthermore, repetition is used in lines 1-3 with the word "if," which emphasizes the emotion of love, "If ever two were one, than surely we," depicts appreciation the two people have for each other and their feelings are one in unity. Metaphors in the poem emphasize the speaker's imagery, "Nor ought but love from thee, give recompense. Thy love is such I can no way repay, The heavens reward thee manifold, I pray." The speaker's husband brings her such joy that she cannot repay him in any mortal way, so she prays that God will grant her husband the same bliss he has brought her.
16 Mar 2008 <http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/webtexts/Bradstreet/bradhyp.htm>
If ever two were one, then surely we.
If ever man were loved 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 recompense.
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 persevere
That when we live no more, we may live ever.
Reflection:
The author displays a tone of exaltation, which makes the reader feel that it can overcome the certainty of death and that true love carries on through the ages. Bradstreet's imagery in the poem portrays love in an eloquent style. For example, the following line describes the speaker's appreciation of love, "I prize my love more than whole mines of gold. My love is such that rivers cannot quench" portrays the gratitude of the speaker's husband since she values his life and spirit, and her love for him is infinite. Furthermore, repetition is used in lines 1-3 with the word "if," which emphasizes the emotion of love, "If ever two were one, than surely we," depicts appreciation the two people have for each other and their feelings are one in unity. Metaphors in the poem emphasize the speaker's imagery, "Nor ought but love from thee, give recompense. Thy love is such I can no way repay, The heavens reward thee manifold, I pray." The speaker's husband brings her such joy that she cannot repay him in any mortal way, so she prays that God will grant her husband the same bliss he has brought her.
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