Living

The Present: or, The Bag of the Bee.

by Robert Herrick 1591–1674

From Hesperides (1648)

Living

FLy to my Mistresse, pretty pilfring Bee,
And say, thou bring'st this Hony-bag from me:
When on her lip, thou hast thy sweet dew plac't,
Mark, if her tongue, but slily, steale a taste.
If so, we live; if not, with mournfull humme,
Tole forth my death; next, to my buryall come.

MLA

Herrick, Robert. “The Present: or, The Bag of the Bee.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/herrick/250/.

Chicago

Herrick, Robert. “The Present: or, The Bag of the Bee.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/herrick/250/.

Read this poem with the Codex →

More by Robert Herrick