The Quiddity

My God, a verse is not a crown,
No point of honour, or gay suit,
No hawk, or banquet, or renown,
Nor a good sword, nor yet a lute:

It cannot vault, or dance, or play;
It never was in France or Spain;
Nor can it entertain the day
With my great stable or demain:

It is no office, art, or news,
Nor the Exchange, or busie Hall;
But it is that which while I use
I am with thee, and most take all.

—

George Herbert (1593-1633)

George Herbert, Complete English Works; Everyman’s Library, New York; ISBN 0679443592
George Herbert, The Complete English Poems; Penguin Books, Harmondsworth; ISBN 0140423486