Quinquagesima

Love is alone the worthy law of love: All other laws have presupposed a taint: Love is the law from kindled saint to saint, From lamb to lamb, from dove to answering dove. Love is the motive of all things that move Harmonious by free will without constraint: Love learns and teaches: love shall man acquaint With all he lacks, which all his lack is love. Because Love is the fountain, I discern The stream as love: for what but love should flow From fountain Love? not bitter from the sweet! I ignorant, have I laid claim to know? Oh, teach me, Love, such knowledge as is meet For one to know who is fain to love and learn.

Piteous my rhyme is What while I muse of love and pain, Of love misspent, of love in vain, Of love that is not loved again: And is this all then? As long as time is, Love loveth. Time is but a span, The dalliance space of dying man: And is this all immortals can? The gain were small then.

Love loves for ever, And finds a sort of joy in pain, And gives with nought to take again, And loves too well to end in vain: Is the gain small then? Love laughs at “never,” Outlives our life, exceeds the span Appointed to mere mortal man: All which love is and does and can Is all in all then.