Addressing a Lady That Requested I Would Show Affection

Now you have bestowed me permission to love,
What will you act?
Will I your joy, or passion arouse,
Once I start to court;
Shall you distress, or disdain, or love me too?

Every minor beauty can scorn, and I
Spight of your aversion
Absent your consent can perceive, and succumb;
Bestow a loftier Destiny!
It is effortless to demolish, you can fashion.

Then allow me consent to love, & love me too
Not with design
To uplift, as Affection's cursed defiers act
While puling Poets moan,
Fame to their charm, from their weeping eyes.

Sorrow is a pool and reflects not distinct
One's beauty’s beams;
Joys are pure streams, your eyes appear
Sullen in gloomier layes,
Within happy lines they shine luminous with acclaim.

Which shall not refer to express you fayr
Injuries, blazes, and darts,
Tempests in your forehead, traps in your locks,
Bribing all your attributes,
Either to deceive, or torture captive affections.

I will cause your vision like sunrise suns look,
As mild, and fayr;
Thy brow as Crystall smooth, and transparent,
While your tousled locks
May drift like a serene Zone of the Atmosphere.

Abundant The natural world's treasury (which is the Poet’s Wealth)
I shall spend, to dress
Your graces, if your Source of Joy
Through equal thankfulness
One but unlock, so we mutually bless.

Exploring the Work's Themes

The work delves the relationship of love and admiration, where the speaker engages with a lady who requests his love. Conversely, he suggests a reciprocal agreement of literary praise for private favors. The wording is refined, mixing courtly norms with frank statements of yearning.

Through the verses, the author spurns common tropes of one-sided affection, including grief and tears, claiming they cloud true charm. He favors delight and praise to emphasize the lady's attributes, promising to portray her gaze as shining stars and her locks as drifting breeze. The method underscores a pragmatic yet clever outlook on bonds.

Key Components of the Piece

  • Shared Arrangement: The work revolves on a suggestion of tribute in return for pleasure, stressing balance between the persons.
  • Rejection of Conventional Ideas: The poet criticizes typical poetic tools like grief and similes of suffering, favoring positive imagery.
  • Poetic Artistry: The use of diverse verse patterns and rhythm demonstrates the author's expertise in composition, creating a smooth and captivating experience.
Abundant Nature's hoard (which is the Poet’s Riches)
I’l use, to dress
One's graces, if your Source of Delight
With matching thankfulness
You but open, so we one another favor.

The verse summarizes the central arrangement, as the writer pledges to utilize his artistic abilities to praise the maiden, as compensation for her willingness. This phraseology mixes pious overtones with physical yearnings, adding profundity to the poem's meaning.

George Brown
George Brown

A productivity coach and mindfulness advocate with a passion for helping others achieve their goals through effective note-taking techniques.