Ere I waken out of sleep,
My thoughts doth run to thee, my love.
Yea, before I rise to meet the day,
It is thee I’m thinking of.
I yearn for thee, my love,
My heart doth long for thine embrace.
To feel thine arms about me holding;
To hear thy voice, to see thy face…
Thy sweet name is quick unto my lips,
And it is fond unto my ear.
It gladdens me to speak it ‘loud,
My precious love, my lovely dear.
I would that thou wert here, my love,
That I might tell thee all my heart.
To speak unto thee words of love;
I miss thee, love, when we’re apart…
Come quickly back unto me, love;
Thou art so far away, though thy love is ever near,
Yet do I anxiously await thy coming;
I’ll look for thee most earnestly, till thou art with me here.