Addressing a Lady That Wished Me to Love Her
Now you have bestowed me leave to love,
What shall you act?
Am I to your delight, or emotion move,
As I commence court;
Shall you trouble, or scorn, or love me too?
All trivial charm can reject, and I
Despite your aversion
Without your consent can see, and succumb;
Grant a loftier Destiny!
’Tis easy to destroy, you could form.
Thus allow me leave to adore, & cherish me too
Without intent
To raise, as Love's cursed rebels act
When complaining Bards moan,
Fame to their charm, from their weeping eyne.
Sadness is a pool and reflects not distinct
Your beauty’s lights;
Joyes are pure streames, your gaze appear
Sullen in more sorrowful layes,
Within joyful verses they shine luminous with prayse.
That shall not allude to portray you fair
Wounds, flames, and darts,
Tempests in your countenance, snares in your hayr,
Corrupting all your attributes,
Or else to trick, or torment trapped affections.
I shall render your gaze like sunrise stars appear,
Like gentle, and fair;
Thy forehead as crystal even, and pure,
Whereas your unkempt hair
May flow like a calm Area of the Air.
Wealthy Nature’s store (which is the Poet’s Treasure)
I shall spend, to dress
Thy graces, if your Source of Delight
With matching appreciation
Thou but open, so we mutually bless.
Delving into the Work's Ideas
This piece delves the interplay of affection and praise, in which the poet engages with a maiden who seeks his love. Rather, he suggests a reciprocal exchange of literary praise for intimate pleasures. This wording is elegant, combining refined norms with candid expressions of desire.
Through the verses, the writer dismisses usual themes of unreturned passion, including sorrow and lamentation, stating they obscure true beauty. He prefers happiness and acclaim to showcase the maiden's features, promising to portray her eyes as shining stars and her tresses as drifting breeze. The method emphasizes a realistic yet artful view on relationships.
Important Components of the Work
- Shared Arrangement: The verse centers on a suggestion of admiration in exchange for enjoyment, highlighting balance between the parties.
- Rejection of Traditional Themes: The narrator condemns common poetic tools like sorrow and metaphors of suffering, preferring positive descriptions.
- Poetic Craftsmanship: The application of diverse verse patterns and cadence showcases the writer's proficiency in verse, forming a fluid and engaging experience.
Rich The natural world's store (which is the Bard's Wealth)
I will expend, to adorn
Your graces, if your Source of Pleasure
Through matching thankfulness
You but unlock, so we each other grace.
The stanza encapsulates the central arrangement, where the author pledges to employ his creative abilities to celebrate the woman, in return for her receptiveness. The wording mixes devout overtones with earthly desires, giving profundity to the verse's theme.