The poem
Define my weal, and tell the joys of Heav'n; Express my woes, and show the pains of Hell; Declare what fate unlucky stars have giv'n, And ask a world upon my life to dwell; Make known the faith that Fortune could not move; Compare myu worth with others' base desert; Let virtue be the touchstone of my love, So may the heav'ns read wonders in my heart; Behold the clouds which have eclips'd my sun, And view the crosses which my course do let; Tell me if ever since the world begun So fair a rising had so foul a set, And see if Time (if he would strive to prove) Can show a second to so pure a love.