Skip to content
Linespedia

Happiness To Hospitality; Or, A Hearty Wish To Good Housekeeping.

By Robert Herrick

Topics: classic

First, may the hand of bounty bring     Into the daily offering     Of full provision such a store,     Till that the cook cries: Bring no more.     Upon your hogsheads never fall     A drought of wine, ale, beer, at all;     But, like full clouds, may they from thence     Diffuse their mighty influence.     Next, let the lord and lady here     Enjoy a Christ'ning year by year;     And this good blessing back them still,     T' have boys, and girls too, as they will.     Then from the porch may many a bride     Unto the holy temple ride:     And thence return, short prayers said,     A wife most richly married.     Last, may the bride and bridegroom be     Untouch'd by cold sterility;     But in their springing blood so play,     As that in lusters few they may,     By laughing too, and lying down,     People a city or a town.

AI analysis available. Enable JavaScript to interact.

About this line

"First, may the hand of bounty bring..."

Exploring the themes of classic, Robert Herrick delivers a powerful performance in "Happiness To Hospitality; Or, A Hearty Wish To Good Housekeeping."... ### Why We Love This Line At Linespedia, we believe that poetry is the ultimate sanctuary for the soul...

Attribution & Rights

Author:Robert Herrick

"First, may the hand of bounty bring..." by Robert Herrick

For usage rights, copyright concerns, or to report an issue with this content, please visit our Copyright & Report page.

Related lines

"I freeze, I freeze, and nothing dwells     In me but snow and icicles.     For pity's sake, give your advice,     To melt this snow and thaw th"

"Kings must be dauntless; subjects will contemn     Those who want hearts and wear a diadem."

"And, cruel maid, because I see You scornful of my love, and me, I'll trouble you no more, but go My way, where you shall never know What is become"

"For thirty years Tubbs has been proud and poor;     'Tis now his habit, which he can't give o'er."

"Here morning in the ploughman's songs is met     Ere yet one footstep shows in all the sky,     And twilight in the east, a doubt as yet,     S"

"The Text is taken from Percy's Reliques (1765), vol. i. p. 71, 'given from two MS. copies, transmitted from Scotland.' Herd had a very similar bal"

Robert Herrick

About Robert Herrick

Robert Herrick (1591–1674) was an English Cavalier poet whose "Hesperides" (1648) contains over 1,200 poems. His carpe diem verse "To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time" ("Gather ye rosebuds while ye may") and lyric poems celebrate love, beauty, and the passing of time.

Full Bibliography
Continue Reading

"I freeze, I freeze, and nothing dwells     In me b..."

Weekly Poetic Insight

Join our literary Sanctuary

Get the most inspiring lines, poetic analysis, and secret shayaris delivered to your inbox every Sunday.