To a Lady Who Desired Me to Show Affection

Since you've freely given me permission to love,
What will you do?
Will I your delight, or ardor arouse,
Once I commence court;
Will you trouble, or scorn, or love me too?

All trivial charm can disdain, and I
Spight of your dislike
Without your leave can observe, and die;
Dispense a loftier Fate!
’Tis easy to demolish, you may form.

Then give me consent to adore, & adore me too
Lacking intent
To raise, as Affection's accursed defiers behave
As complaining Versifiers moan,
Acclaim to their beauty, from their weeping eyne.

Sadness is a pond and mirrors not distinct
One's beauty’s beams;
Joyes are clear streams, your gaze appear
Sullen in more sorrowful songs,
In cheerfull verses they shine luminous with acclaim.

What will not refer to portray you fayr
Harms, fires, and shafts,
Tempests in your brow, snares in your locks,
Corrupting all your parts,
Either to deceive, or afflict ensnared hearts.

I shall cause your vision like dawn suns look,
Like soft, and fair;
Thy forehead as glass even, and clear,
And your dishevelled hayr
Shall stream like a tranquil Area of the Atmosphere.

Wealthy Nature’s hoard (which is the Bard's Wealth)
I shall use, to adorn
Your graces, if your Wellspring of Pleasure
Through equall gratitude
You but unlock, so we one another favor.

Examining the Work's Motifs

The composition delves the dynamics of love and praise, where the narrator addresses a lady who requests his affection. Rather, he proposes a mutual exchange of literary praise for personal favors. The phraseology is elegant, mixing courtly traditions with candid expressions of desire.

Within the stanzas, the poet spurns common tropes of unreturned passion, including grief and weeping, arguing they cloud true charm. The speaker chooses happiness and admiration to highlight the maiden's features, vowing to depict her vision as radiant orbs and her locks as drifting atmosphere. The method underscores a practical yet clever outlook on connections.

Important Aspects of the Composition

  • Mutual Exchange: The work focuses on a offer of tribute in trade for pleasure, stressing parity between the individuals.
  • Rejection of Traditional Motifs: The narrator disparages typical artistic techniques like sadness and metaphors of pain, choosing upbeat imagery.
  • Creative Artistry: The use of varied meter measures and flow displays the author's expertise in composition, forming a graceful and captivating read.
Abundant The natural world's store (which is the Bard's Wealth)
I will expend, to dress
Your beauties, if your Mine of Pleasure
In equal appreciation
Thou but unlock, so we each other grace.

The stanza captures the essential deal, as the poet pledges to employ his creative gifts to celebrate the lady, as compensation for her receptiveness. The wording mixes devout overtones with worldly yearnings, adding profundity to the work's meaning.

Jamie Willis
Jamie Willis

A passionate gamer and tech enthusiast with over a decade of experience in reviewing games and sharing strategies to help players level up.