Addressing a Lady That Requested Me to Love Her

Since you've granted me permission to love,
How will you act?
Will I your joy, or passion move,
When I start to court;
Will you trouble, or mock, or cherish me too?

Each petty beauty can scorn, and I
In spite of your hate
Lacking your consent can perceive, and succumb;
Dispense a grander Fate!
It's simple to ruin, you may create.

Then allow me leave to adore, & love me too
Without intent
To raise, as Affection's accursed insurgents do
As puling Bards moan,
Acclaim to their beauty, from their blubber’d gaze.

Sadness is a puddle and reflects not bright
One's beauty’s beams;
Delights are pure streams, your eyes appear
Gloomy in more sorrowful layes,
In joyful lines they shine bright with praise.

What shall not refer to describe you fair
Injuries, fires, and shafts,
Tempests in your countenance, snares in your hayr,
Bribing all your features,
Or to deceive, or torment trapped souls.

I’ll make your eyes like dawn stars look,
Just as mild, and fair;
Thy countenance as glass smooth, and pure,
Whereas your unkempt locks
May flow like a calm Area of the Ayr.

Rich Nature’s store (which is the Writer's Treasure)
I shall spend, to embellish
One's beauties, if your Wellspring of Delight
With equall appreciation
One but unlock, so we one another bless.

Exploring the Work's Ideas

The composition delves the interplay of passion and acclaim, where the poet speaks to a lady who seeks his devotion. Conversely, he offers a shared arrangement of literary admiration for private delights. This language is elegant, combining polished norms with direct statements of longing.

Through the lines, the author rejects common themes of one-sided affection, such as grief and lamentation, claiming they obscure true grace. He prefers happiness and praise to showcase the woman's features, vowing to render her eyes as bright stars and her hair as drifting breeze. The approach underscores a pragmatic yet skillful outlook on connections.

Significant Aspects of the Piece

  • Reciprocal Arrangement: The work centers on a offer of praise in exchange for pleasure, stressing equality between the individuals.
  • Spurning of Traditional Ideas: The speaker condemns common artistic techniques like sorrow and imagery of suffering, choosing optimistic imagery.
  • Artistic Craftsmanship: The use of diverse verse measures and flow demonstrates the writer's proficiency in poetry, producing a fluid and compelling experience.
Abundant Nature’s treasury (which is the Bard's Treasure)
I will expend, to embellish
Your beauties, if your Wellspring of Delight
With equall thankfulness
Thou but unlock, so we one another grace.

This stanza summarizes the central arrangement, where the author promises to employ his artistic talents to praise the maiden, in exchange for her receptiveness. This phraseology blends devout hints with physical desires, providing profundity to the verse's meaning.

Jennifer Brown
Jennifer Brown

Technology strategist and writer with over a decade of experience in digital transformation and startup ecosystems.