For a Lady Who Requested I Would Show Affection
Given that you bestowed me consent to love,
How will you respond?
Shall I your mirth, or passion move,
As I commence pursue;
Will you trouble, or scorn, or cherish me too?
Each petty grace can reject, and I
Spight of your aversion
Absent your permission can perceive, and perish;
Dispense a grander Destiny!
It's simple to ruin, you could create.
Therefore grant me leave to love, & love me too
Without purpose
To uplift, as Love's accursed defiers do
While whining Versifiers lament,
Acclaim to their charm, from their blubber’d eyne.
Sorrow is a puddle and mirrors not distinct
Your beauty’s rayes;
Delights are clear streames, your gaze look
Sullen in sadder songs,
Within joyful numbers they radiate bright with praise.
Which shall not refer to portray you fayr
Harms, fires, and darts,
Tempests in your forehead, traps in your hair,
Corrupting all your parts,
Or to betray, or torment captive affections.
I’ll render your gaze like morning stars look,
Like mild, and lovely;
Your forehead as crystal smooth, and transparent,
While your dishevelled hair
Will flow like a calm Area of the Ayr.
Rich Nature’s store (which is the Writer's Riches)
I shall use, to adorn
One's charms, if your Mine of Pleasure
With matching appreciation
You but open, so we one another bless.
Examining the Verse's Ideas
This piece delves the relationship of love and acclaim, in which the speaker engages with a lady who seeks his devotion. Instead, he suggests a mutual agreement of literary admiration for intimate favors. The wording is elegant, mixing courtly traditions with candid expressions of longing.
Within the verses, the writer dismisses typical themes of unreturned love, like sorrow and lamentation, arguing they obscure true charm. He prefers joy and praise to showcase the woman's qualities, promising to render her gaze as radiant stars and her tresses as flowing breeze. The approach underscores a practical yet clever outlook on relationships.
Important Aspects of the Piece
- Shared Exchange: The poem centers on a suggestion of praise in trade for delight, stressing balance between the individuals.
- Spurning of Standard Motifs: The narrator disparages common artistic tools like sadness and metaphors of pain, preferring positive descriptions.
- Poetic Craftsmanship: The employment of diverse line measures and rhythm showcases the writer's proficiency in poetry, forming a fluid and compelling read.
Abundant The natural world's hoard (which is the Bard's Treasure)
I shall expend, to adorn
Your graces, if your Wellspring of Pleasure
In matching gratitude
Thou but release, so we mutually favor.
This section summarizes the core deal, in which the writer promises to employ his artistic abilities to celebrate the lady, as compensation for her receptiveness. This wording blends pious hints with worldly yearnings, giving profundity to the verse's meaning.