I loved you first: but afterwards your loveOutsoaring mine, sang such a loftier songAs drowned the friendly cooings of my dove.Which owes the other most? my love was long,And yours one moment seemed to wax more strong;I loved and guessed at you, you construed meAnd loved me for what might or might not be –Nay, weights and measures do us both a wrong.For verily love knows not ‘mine’ or ‘thine;’With separate ‘I’ and ‘thou’ free love has done,For one is both and both are one in love:Rich love knows nought of ‘thine that is not mine;’Both have the strength and both the length thereof,Both of us, of the love which makes us one.- CHRISTINA ROSSETTI
