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 honor thy
decrees;
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.