[Aminta, though my Eyes ne'er saw thy beauties]

Aminta, though my Eyes ne’er saw thy beauties,

Though I was ne’er acquainted with thy worth

’Till righteous Heaven had call’d thee to thy Home,

Though thy superior Genius tow’r’d beyond

My little reach, and though thy nobler Soul 5

Enjoy’d a stronger faith, a bolder hope

(Prepar’d betimes for Glory) yet methinks

Humbly I fain would boast a kindred Mind.

Like thine my wishes and my better hopes

Are fix’d above, ’tis Heaven my Soul desires 10

And Int’rest in the favour of my God;

Favour and grace to guide my wand’ring feet

To lead me to himself and fix my heart

Entirely his. Give me O gracious God

The enjoyment of thy soul sustaining smiles 15

Whilst here I wander in a vale of tears,

And fit me for those pure unmingled pleasures

The blest enjoy when time shall be no more.

O could I boldly hope my Heaven secure

Like thine, Aminta, should my thoughts aspire 20

And longing pant for Immortality,

Press forward still to gain a glorious prize

Regardless of the intervening woes.

The toils of Life, the pangs of struggling Nature,

In Death’s important hour would lose their terror. 25

Serenely then I too might wait the blow

And smiling welcome pain and ling’ring weakness

As gentle Messengers to call me Home.

I follow thee Aminta, and I hope

To overtake ^thee^ even beyond the Grave. 30

My hours fly off apace, a few more days

At best most a few revolving Seasons more

And this poor feeble Body drops to dust;

Then may my Soul wash’d in a Saviour’s blood

Return to God and join the angelic Choir, 35

United as a Sister Spirit joins

With thee, Aminta, in eternal Praise.

Text: Steele Collection 10/2; also 3/6/2 (transcribed by Anne Steele), Angus Library, Regent's Park College, Oxford; ‘Aminta’ is Hannah Wakeford (1725-1746) (see her entries on this site), the first wife of Joseph Wakeford; see also Whelan, Nonconformist Women Writers, vol. 4, p. .