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.

Test Yourself

Steps to memorization• Pick a poem that you like. Tips.• Break it down by line. Think about each line and make sure that you understand the

meaning and pronunciation of each word.• Write it. Say it aloud. Listen to it.• Think about what you are saying. Where should emphasis be? Help your listener

understand what you know and appreciate about this poem.• Make a Power Point for review and practice.

– Write one line/section per slide– Record (Insert/Movies & Sounds/Record Sound)– Adjust animation so your words come in on a click (Slide Show/Custom Animation)– Play Slide Show to test yourself. Use your sound cues for hints.– Make a slide of just your sound cues to test yourself.– View in Slide Sorter to see all the words or have someone else check you.

• Learn it line by line. Assign yourself two or three lines to learn a night. • Close your eyes and say the words. See them and hear them.• Practice in front of someone else. Where did you stumble? Why? Practice just that

part over and over again.• Practice every day.• Read the tips again.

Quiz

• Write out as much as you can right now. • What is your favorite line? Can you explain

why?• Why did you pick this poem? • What challenges/d you in learning this

poem?

Quiz• Write out as much as you can right now. If ever two were one, then surely we.If ever man were loved by wife, then thee.If ever woman 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 by thy love give recompense.Thy love is such that I can no way repayThe heavens reward thee manifold, I pray.Then while we live, in love let’s perseverThat when we live no more, we may live ever.• What is your favorite line? Can you explain why?“My love is such that rivers cannot quench.” It’s a simple and powerful sentence. The image is strong and it

occurs in the middle of the poem between some longer phrases.• Why did you pick this poem?It’s one of my favorites because it is simple and sweet but not sappy or corny. Her explanations of her love

for her husband are original and powerful. She also communicates her religious beliefs without stereotype, prejudice, or righteousness. The form is also simple, but not corny. She writes in rhyming couplets that are never forced and there is some organization in the order that the ideas are presented (this helps me memorize it). First, she has three “if…then” statements. Then she talks about the power of love. Finally, she cannot repay the love given so she ends with her belief that God could and because they love they can live together in eternal life.

• What challenges/d you in learning this poem?I kept saying “persevere,” but looked it up online and “per-se-ver” is a word. This is dated and sounds

awkward to me, but rhymes with the final line, which is obviously the poet’s intention because she rhymes every other line. I hope that I remember to say it the old-fashioned way.