108. To Anthea, Who May Command Him Any Thing
Bid me to live, and I will liveThy Protestant to be;Or bid me love, and I will giveA loving heart to thee.
A heart as soft, a heart as kind,A heart as sound and freeAs in the whole world thou canst find,That heart I’ll give to thee.
Bid that heart stay, and it will stayTo honour thy decree;Or bid it languish quite away,And’t shall do so for thee.
Bid me to weep, and I will weep,While I have eyes to see;And having none, yet I will keepA heart to weep for thee.
Bid me despair, and I’ll despair,Under that cypress tree;Or bid me die, and I will dareE’en death, to die for thee.
—Thou art my life, my love, my heart,The very eyes of me;And hast command of every part,To live and die for thee.