The Divine Lover

I Me Lord? can’st thou mispend One word, misplace one look on me? Call’st me thy Love, thy Friend? Can this poor soul the object be Of these love-glances, those life-kindling eyes? What? I the Centre of thy arms embraces? Of all thy labour I the prize? Love never mocks, Truth never lies. Oh how I quake: Hope fear, fear hope displaces: I would, but cannot hope: such wondrous love amazes. II See, I am black as night, See I am darkness: dark as hell. Lord thou more fair than light; Heav’ns Sun thy Shadow; can Sunns dwell With Shades? ’twixt light, and darkness what commerce? True: thou art darkness, I thy Light: my ray Thy mists, and hellish foggs shall pierce. With me, black soul, with me converse. I make the foul December flowry May, Turn thou thy night to me: I’le turn thy night to day. III See Lord, see I am dead: Tomb’d in my self: my self my grave A drudge: so born, so bred: My self even to my self a slave. Thou Freedom, Life: can Life, and Liberty Love bondage, death? Thy Freedom I: I tyed To loose thy bonds: be bound to me: My Yoke shall ease, my bonds shall free. Dead soul, thy Spring of life, my dying side: There dye with me to live: to live in thee I dyed.