"I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord." -- Phil. iii.8.

Mechthild of Hellfde, 1277.

tr., Emma Frances Bevan, 1899

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 Saviour 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.