life, my

   Judging by the frequency with which this expression occurs in literature, it was once a common vocative used between lovers. The thought behind it seems to be ‘that which gives me cause for living’. The Oxford English Dictionary quotes a thirteenth century use of it in a religious context, addressed to Jesus Christ. In Shakespeare’s Cymbeline (5:v) occurs: ‘O Imogen! My Queen, my life, my wife!’ The Vicar of Wakefield. by Oliver Goldsmith, has Dr Primrose saying to his wife: ‘Let us have one bottle more, Deborah, my life.’ David Copperfield has the hero telling his loved one: ‘Dora, my own life, I am your ruined David.’ These passionate declarations may still be made in private, but they do not often find their way into modern literature.