Love

O Nectar! O delicious stream!  

     O ravishing and only pleasure! Where  

     Shall such another theme  

Inspire my tongue with joys or please mine ear!  

     Abridgement of delights!

       And Queen of sights!  

O mine of rarities! O Kingdom wide!  

O more! O cause of all! O glorious Bride!  

 O God! O Bride of God! O King!  

 O soul and crown of everything!

   Did not I covet to behold  

Some endless monarch, that did always live  

   In palaces of gold,  

Willing all kingdoms, realms, and crowns to give  

   Unto my soul! Whose love

     A spring might prove  

Of endless glories, honours, friendships, pleasures,  

Joys, praises, beauties and celestial treasures!  

 Lo, now I see there’s such a King,  

 The fountain-head of everything!

   Did my ambition ever dream  

Of such a Lord, of such a love! Did I  

   Expect so sweet a stream  

As this at any time! Could any eye  

   Believe it! Why all power

     Is used here;  

Joys down from Heaven on my head do shower,  

And Jove beyond the fiction doth appear  

 Once more in golden rain to come  

 To Danae’s pleasing fruitful womb.

   His Ganymede! His life! His joy!  

Or He comes down to me, or takes me up  

   That I might be His boy,  

And fill, and taste, and give, and drink the cup,  

   But those (tho’ great) are all

     Too short and small,  

Too weak and feeble pictures to express  

The true mysterious depths of Blessedness.  

 I am His image, and His friend,  

 His son, bride, glory, temple, end.