English Poetry I: From Chaucer to Gray.
The Harvard Classics. 1909–14. |
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| 217. An Ecstasy |
| | | Francis Quarles (1592–1644) |
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| E’EN like two little bank-dividing brooks, | |
| That wash the pebbles with their wanton streams, | |
| And having ranged and search’d a thousand nooks, | |
| Meet both at length in silver-breasted Thames, | |
| Where in a greater current they conjoin: | 5 |
| So I my Best-belovèd’s am; so He is mine. | |
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| E’en so we met; and after long pursuit, | |
| E’en so we joined; we both became entire; | |
| No need for either to renew a suit, | |
| For I was flax, and He was flames of fire: | 10 |
| Our firm-united souls did more than twine; | |
| So I my Best-belovèd’s am; so He is mine. | |
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| If all those glittering Monarchs, that command | |
| The servile quarters of this earthly ball, | |
| Should tender in exchange their shares of land, | 15 |
| I would not change my fortunes for them all: | |
| Their wealth is but a counter to my coin: | |
| The world’s but theirs; but my Belovèd’s mine. | |
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