The speaker pours out a love so absolute it defies comparison. Right from the opening “if ever” statements, she insists that no two people have been more united, no husband more cherished, no wife happier. Her love isn’t just feeling—it’s a fortune greater than whole mines of gold or the riches of the East. It’s a fire that rivers cannot quench, something only his love can match. And yet she feels completely unable to repay what he gives her. That humility shapes the poem’s turn: she prays the heavens reward him many times over. The mood is intimate, reverent, and full of quiet intensity. Earthly passion mixes with spiritual hope, and the closing lines lift that hope higher. If they persevere in love while alive, she believes they will live on together after death, their bond becoming everlasting. Written by a 17th‑century Puritan wife, the poem feels strikingly personal and direct—a reminder of what wholehearted, enduring devotion sounds like.
To my Dear and Loving Husband — Summary
If ever two were one, then surely we. If ever man were lov'd 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 recompetence. 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.