Anne Bradstreet lived from 1612 to 1672 and had her poetry published while she was alive - quite a feat for a female poet of her time. She lived primarily in Massachusetts. She's known for smoking marijuana to help her with illnesses. In this poem, she praises her husband, Simon, who she married when she was sixteen.
If ever two were one, then surely we.
If ever man were loved by wife, then thee;
If ever wife was happy in a man,
Compare with me, ye women, if you can.
I prize thy love more than whole mines of gold
Or all the riches that the East doth hold.
My love is such that rivers cannot quench,
Nor ought but love from thee, give recompense.
Thy love is such I can no way repay,
The heavens reward thee manifold, I pray.
Then while we live, in love let's so persevere
That when we live no more, we may live ever.
Anne had seen a variety of lifestyles. She grew up a cultured young woman in England - but she moved with her husband to the brand new American Colonies in 1630 and endured many hardships there including illneses, her home burning down, and more. But she endured. Her family helped to found Harvard College and were active in government and humanitarian issues.
So with all her experiences she knew that gold was not what mattered. It was love and adoration which mattered.
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