Addressing a Lady That Wished Me to Show Affection

Now you have granted me leave to love,
What will you act?
Am I to your joy, or passion arouse,
As I start to court;
Do you torment, or mock, or adore me too?

Each petty charm can scorn, and I
In spite of your hate
Absent your leave can see, and die;
Dispense a nobler Destiny!
It is effortless to destroy, you may fashion.

Then grant me leave to adore, & love me too
Not with purpose
To uplift, as Loves damned insurgents behave
When whining Poets whine,
Acclaim to their grace, from their blubber’d eyes.

Grief is a puddle and shows not distinct
Your charm's beams;
Joyes are clear streams, your gaze look
Sullen in gloomier layes,
In happy lines they radiate luminous with praise.

What may not refer to describe you lovely
Injuries, flames, and arrows,
Tempests in your forehead, snares in your hair,
Bribing all your features,
Or to deceive, or torture trapped affections.

I will cause your gaze like morning orbs appear,
Just as gentle, and fayr;
Thy brow as glass smooth, and pure,
And your dishevelled hair
Shall drift like a calm Zone of the Ayr.

Wealthy The natural world's treasury (which is the Bard's Treasure)
I’l expend, to adorn
One's charms, if your Mine of Delight
With matching thankfulness
Thou but release, so we mutually grace.

Delving into the Work's Ideas

The composition explores the relationship of affection and admiration, where the narrator engages with a woman who requests his love. Conversely, he offers a shared exchange of literary admiration for private delights. This phraseology is elegant, combining refined norms with frank statements of desire.

In the stanzas, the writer dismisses usual tropes of unrequited passion, including grief and lamentation, stating they dim true grace. He chooses joy and admiration to highlight the lady's qualities, promising to depict her gaze as radiant stars and her locks as flowing air. This approach highlights a practical yet clever perspective on relationships.

Important Elements of the Work

  • Reciprocal Arrangement: The work revolves on a proposal of admiration in return for pleasure, highlighting parity between the parties.
  • Spurning of Conventional Motifs: The speaker criticizes usual artistic tools like sorrow and imagery of pain, favoring optimistic depictions.
  • Artistic Craftsmanship: The use of diverse line lengths and cadence displays the author's proficiency in composition, producing a fluid and engaging text.
Rich Nature’s treasury (which is the Poet’s Wealth)
I’l spend, to adorn
Your beauties, if your Mine of Joy
With equal appreciation
One but unlock, so we each other grace.

This verse summarizes the core arrangement, in which the author vows to utilize his creative talents to praise the lady, as compensation for her willingness. This language combines pious overtones with physical desires, providing complexity to the work's meaning.

Heather Reid
Heather Reid

Award-winning journalist with a focus on Central European affairs and investigative reporting.