Addressing a Lady Who Desired Me to Love Her
Now you have bestowed me consent to love,
What shall you do?
Shall I your mirth, or ardor stir,
Once I start to court;
Will you trouble, or disdain, or cherish me too?
Every minor grace can disdain, and I
In spite of your hate
Lacking your permission can observe, and succumb;
Dispense a nobler Lot!
It's simple to ruin, you can form.
Then allow me permission to adore, & love me too
Not with intent
To uplift, as Loves accursed defiers act
While puling Poets lament,
Fame to their grace, from their weeping eyne.
Sorrow is a pond and shows not clear
Thy charm's beams;
Joys are untainted streames, your eyes look
Sullen in sadder verses,
In joyful numbers they radiate luminous with praise.
That will not refer to portray you fair
Injuries, fires, and darts,
Gales in your forehead, traps in your locks,
Corrupting all your features,
Or to trick, or afflict captive hearts.
I’ll make your gaze like sunrise orbs appear,
Just as soft, and lovely;
Your forehead as glass even, and pure,
And your unkempt locks
May flow like a serene Zone of the Air.
Rich The natural world's hoard (which is the Writer's Wealth)
I’l use, to dress
One's graces, if your Wellspring of Pleasure
With equall thankfulness
Thou but unlock, so we one another bless.
Examining the Verse's Themes
The composition delves the interplay of love and admiration, in which the poet addresses a maiden who desires his affection. Instead, he offers a shared arrangement of artistic admiration for private favors. This wording is elegant, mixing refined traditions with frank utterances of longing.
In the verses, the poet rejects usual tropes of unrequited passion, including sadness and lamentation, arguing they dim true charm. He prefers happiness and praise to emphasize the maiden's features, promising to depict her gaze as radiant suns and her tresses as drifting air. The technique underscores a pragmatic yet skillful outlook on relationships.
Significant Aspects of the Work
- Mutual Arrangement: The work focuses on a suggestion of tribute in trade for enjoyment, highlighting balance between the parties.
- Spurning of Conventional Motifs: The speaker condemns common poetic tools like sorrow and metaphors of pain, choosing positive descriptions.
- Artistic Artistry: The employment of diverse meter measures and cadence demonstrates the poet's mastery in verse, producing a graceful and compelling experience.
Rich The natural world's hoard (which is the Poet’s Wealth)
I will expend, to adorn
One's charms, if your Source of Delight
In equall thankfulness
Thou but unlock, so we one another favor.
The stanza summarizes the central arrangement, as the author vows to use his inventive abilities to praise the woman, in exchange for her willingness. This wording blends pious overtones with earthly desires, giving complexity to the work's meaning.