BID me to live, and I will live     Thy Protestant to be, Or bid me love, and I will give     A loving heart to thee. A heart as soft, a heart as kind,     A heart as sound and free As in the whole world thou canst find,     That heart I'll give to thee. Bid that heart stay, and it will stay     To honour thy decree : Or bid it languish quite away,     And't shall do so for thee. Bid me to weep, and I will weep     While I have eyes to see : And, having none, yet I will keep     A heart to weep for thee. Bid me despair, and I'll despair     Under that cypress-tree : Or bid me die, and I will dare     E'en death to die for thee. Thou art my life, my love, my heart,     The very eyes of me : And hast command of every part     To live and die for thee.

Van Dyck. Portrait of a Girl as Erminia Accompanied by Cupid. 1638. From CGFA

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