Anne Bradstreet

"Ask not why hearts turn Magazines of passions,     And why that grief is clad in sev'ral fashions;     Why She on progress goes, and doth not bo"

"When England did enjoy her Halsion dayes,     Her noble Sidney wore the Crown of Bayes;     As well an honour to our British Land,     As she t"

"By duty bound, and not by custome led     To celebrate the praises of the dead,     My mournfull mind, sore prest, in trembling verse     Prese"

"O thou Most High who rulest all And hear'st the prayers of thine, O hearken, Lord, unto my suit And my petition sign. Into Thy everlasting arms Of me"

"Most truly honoured, and as truly dear, If worth in me or ought I do appear, Who can of right better demand the same Than may your worthy self from wh"

"All things within this fading world hath end, Adversity doth still our joys attend; No ties so strong, no friends so dear and sweet, But with death's"

"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 ca"

"I had eight birds hatched in one nest, Four cocks there were, and hens the rest. I nursed them up with pain and care, Nor cost, nor labour did I spare"

"Absent upon Public Employment My head, my heart, mine eyes, my life, nay more, My joy, my magazine, of earthly store, If two be one, as surely thou a"

"1.1 Lo now! four other acts upon the stage, 1.2 Childhood, and Youth, the Manly, and Old-age. 1.3 The first: son unto Phlegm, grand-child to water, 1."

"O Lord, Thou hear'st my daily moan And see'st my dropping tears. My troubles all are Thee before, My longings and my fears. Thou hitherto hast been m"

"What shall I render to Thy name Or how Thy praises speak? My thanks how shall I testify? O Lord, Thou know'st I'm weak. I owe so much, so little can"

"Proem. 1.1 Although great Queen, thou now in silence lie, 1.2 Yet thy loud Herald Fame, doth to the sky 1.3 Thy wondrous worth proclaim, in every cli"

"Proem.     Although great Queen, thou now in silence lie,     Yet thy loud Herald Fame, doth to the sky     Thy wondrous worth proclaim, in every c"

"Great Alexander was wise Philips son,     He to Amyntas, Kings of Macedon;     The cruel proud Olympias was his Mother,     She to Epirus warli"

"The former four now ending their discourse,     Ceasing to vaunt their good, or threat their force,     Lo other four step up, crave leave to sh"

"By night when others soundly slept,     And had at once both case and rest,     My waking eyes were open kept     And so to lie I found it best"

"As he said vanity, so vain say I,     Oh! vanity, O vain all under Sky;     Where is the man can say, lo, I have found     On brittle Earth a C"

"Absent upon Public Employment     My head, my heart, mine eyes, my life, nay more,     My joy, my magazine, of earthly store,     If two be on"

"Here lyes,     A worthy Matron of unspotted life,     A loving Mother and obedient wife,     A friendly Neighbor, pitiful to poor,     Whom oft sh"

"As loving hind that (hartless) wants her deer,     Scuds through the woods and fern with hark'ning ear,     Perplext, in every bush and nook d"

"To finish what's begun, was my intent,     My thoughts and my endeavours thereto bent;     Essays I many made but still gave out,     The more"

"Stout Romulus, Romes founder, and first King,     Whom vestal Rhea to the world did bring;     His Father was not Mars as some devis'd,     But"

"Dear Sir of late delighted with the sight     Of your four Sisters cloth'd in black and white,     Of fairer Dames the Sun ne'r saw the face;"

"Most truly honoured, and as truly dear,     If worth in me, or ought I do appear,     Who can of right better demand the same?     Then may you"

"By night when others soundly slept     And hath at once both ease and Rest,     My waking eyes were open kept     And so to lie I found it best"

"Her Mother's Epitaph     Here lies     A worthy matron of unspotted life,     A loving mother and obedient wife,     A friendly neighbor, pitiful"

"All things within this fading world hath end,     Adversity doth still our joys attend;     No ties so strong, no friends so dear and sweet,"

"What shall I render to Thy name     Or how Thy praises speak?     My thanks how shall I testify?     O Lord, Thou know'st I'm weak.     I owe"

"2. Sam. I. 19.     Alas slain is the Head of Israel,     Illustrious Saul whose beauty did excell,     Upon thy places mountainous and high,"

"Some time now past in the Autumnal Tide,     When Phoebus wanted but one hour to bed,     The trees all richly clad, yet void of pride,     Wer"

"With troubled heart and trembling hand I write.     The heavens have changed to sorrow my delight.     How oft with dissappointment have I met"

"Worthy art Thou, O Lord, of praise,     But ah! It's not in me.     My sinking heart I pray Thee raise     So shall I give it Thee.     My li"

"No sooner come, but gone, and fal'n asleep,     Acquaintance short, yet parting caus'd us weep.     Three flours, two scarcely blown, the last i"

"Farewel dear babe, my hearts too much content,     Farewel sweet babe, the pleasure of mine eye,     Farewel fair flower that for a space was le"

"I had eight birds hatched in one nest,     Four cocks there were, and hens the rest.     I nursed them up with pain and care,     Nor cost, nor"

"Among the happy wits this age hath shown     Great, dear, sweet Bartas thou art matchless known;     My ravished Eyes and heart with faltering t"

"And live I still to see relations gone,     And yet survive to sound this wailing tone;     Ah, woe is me, to write thy Funeral Song,     Who m"

"Thou ill-form'd offspring of my feeble brain,     Who after birth did'st by my side remain,     Till snatcht from thence by friends, less wise t"

"A ship that bears much sail, and little ballast, is easily overset; and that man, whose head hath great abilities, and his heart little or no grac"

"Spring.     Another four I've left yet to bring on,     Of four times four the last Quarternion     The Winter, Summer, Autumn & the Spring,"

"In secret place where once I stood     Close by the Banks of Lacrim flood,     I heard two sisters reason on     Things that are past and thing"

"Cyrus Cambyses Son of Persia King,     Whom Lady Mandana did to him bring,     She daughter unto great Astiages,     He in descent the seventh"

"The Fire, Air, Earth and Water did contest     Which was the strongest, noblest and the best,     Who was of greatest use and might'est force;"

"Phoebus make haste, the day's too long, begone,     The silent night's the fittest time for moan;     But stay this once, unto my suit give ea"

"Lo now four other act upon the stage,     Childhood and Youth the Manly & Old age;     The first son unto flegm, Grand-child to water,     Unst"

"New England.     Alas, dear Mother, fairest Queen and best,     With honour, wealth, and peace happy and blest,     What ails thee hang thy he"

"In my distress I sought the Lord     When naught on earth could comfort give,     And when my soul these things abhorred,     Then, Lord, Thou"

"To sing of Wars, of Captains, and of Kings,     Of Cities founded, Common-wealths begun,     For my mean pen are too superior things:     Or ho"

"When time was young, & World in Infancy,     Man did not proudly strive for Soveraignty:     But each one thought his petty Rule was high,"