Before I Had You
Before I had you,
I loved Nature as a calm monk loves Jesus.
Now I love Nature
As a calm monk loves the Holy Virgin —
With devotion (in my own way), as before,
But with more warmth, more intimacy.
I see the rivers more clearly when I walk with you
Along the meadows by their banks.
When I sit beside you and watch the clouds,
I see them more clearly.
You have not taken Nature from me.
You have not changed Nature.
You have brought Nature closer to me.
Because of you, I see it better, though it is the same as before.
Because you love me, I love it in the same way — only more.
Because you have chosen me to have you and to love you,
I look at it more intently
Than at anything else.
I do not regret who I was before,
For I am still who I was.
I only regret
That I did not love you sooner.
