Absence, hear my protestation
Against thy strength
Distance and length,
Do what thou canst for alteration:
For hearts of truest metal
Absence doth join, and Time doth settle.

Who loves a mistress of right quality,
His mind hath found
Affection's ground
Beyond time, place, and all mortality:
To hearts that cannot vary
Absence is present, Time doth tarry.

My senses want their outward motion
Which now within
Reason doth win,
Redoubled by her secret notion;
Like rich men that take pleasure
In hiding more than handling treasure.

By absence this good means I gain,
That I can catch her
(Where none can watch her)
In some close corner of my brain:
There I embrace and kiss her,
And so enjoy her, and none miss her.