|There came no more such abundance of spices as those which the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.| -- 1 Kings x.10.
Mechthild of Hellfde, 1277.
tr., Emma Frances Bevan, 1899
|What dost thou bring me, O my Queen?
Love maketh thy steps to fly.|
Lord, to Thee my jewel I bring,
Greater than mountains high;
Broader than all the earth's broad lands,
Heavier than the ocean sands,
And higher it is than the sky:
Deeper it is than the depths of the sea,
And fairer than the sun,
Unreckoned, as if the stars could be
All gathered into one.
|O thou My Godhead's image fair,
Thou Eve from Adam framed,
My flesh, My bone, My life to share,
My Spirit's diadem to wear,
How is thy jewel named?|
Lord, it is called my heart's desire,
From the world's enchantments won;
I have borne it afar through flood and fire
And will yield it up to none;
But the burden I can bear no more --
Where shall I lay it up in store?
|There is no treasure-house but this,
My heart divine, My Manhood's breast;
There shall My Spirit's sacred kiss
Fill thee with rest.|