Blog #10: Reflecting upon, "To My Dear and Loving Husband" by Anne Bradstreet

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 persever,

That when we live no more, we may live ever.

I really enjoyed reading this poem. It was filled with sentiment and reading it felt real. I believe in this wife's love for her husband, and I surely hope he feels the same way towards her. It reminds me of a Sonnet written by Shakespeare where he (satirically) expressed his love for the woman he was writing about. Clearly this poem expresses no satire, it is the complete opposite. BUT, it clearly represents a woman's love for her husband, as Shakespeare expressed his love. 

I liked the way Anne Bradstreet set all of this up. It's like she gives us something to think about, and then gives us a take away relating to her life. I feel like putting your feelings out there in that way shows vulnerability, and not necessarily "child-like" expression but a young aura. 

It seems to me, that the narrator, whether it be Bradstreet or someone else, sees more value in this love than in anything else. "I prize thy love more than whole mines of gold,

Or all the riches that the East doth hold." I, personally, think that it'd be quite amazing to have gold, and seemingly endless riches, but I do wonder. I wonder what it is like to love someone so much, that they are your riches. They are the gold and the silver, they are the 50's and the 100's. They are your worth.