IF the world were mine and all its store,
And were it of crystal gold;
Could I reign on its throne for evermore
From the ancient days of old,
An empress noble and fair as day,
O gladly might it be,
That I might cast it all away;
Christ, only Christ for me.
For Christ my Lord my spirit longs,
For Christ, my Savior dear;
The joy and sweetness of my songs
The whilst I wander here—
O Lord, my spirit fain would flee
From the lonely desert away to Thee.
Mechthild of Hellfde, † 1277.