Addressing a Lady That Requested Me to Love Her
Now you have freely given me permission to love,
What will you respond?
Will I your joy, or passion arouse,
Once I commence court;
Shall you trouble, or mock, or adore me too?
Every minor beauty can scorn, and I
In spite of your hate
Absent your permission can observe, and succumb;
Dispense a grander Fate!
It's simple to ruin, you may create.
Then give me permission to love, & adore me too
Without design
To raise, as Loves cursed insurgents act
While complaining Bards moan,
Fame to their charm, from their blubber’d gaze.
Sadness is a puddle and shows not distinct
Your beauty’s rayes;
Joyes are pure currents, your eyes appear
Morose in gloomier verses,
In joyful verses they radiate brilliant with prayse.
That will not refer to express you fair
Injuries, fires, and darts,
Gales in your forehead, snares in your hayr,
Suborning all your attributes,
Or to trick, or afflict ensnared hearts.
I’ll make your eyes like sunrise orbs look,
As soft, and lovely;
Your forehead as crystal even, and clear,
Whereas your dishevelled hayr
Shall stream like a serene Region of the Ayr.
Abundant The natural world's store (which is the Poet’s Wealth)
I’l spend, to dress
One's graces, if your Source of Joy
Through equal gratitude
One but unlock, so we each other favor.
Examining the Work's Motifs
This work examines the interplay of love and acclaim, in which the narrator addresses a woman who desires his love. Instead, he suggests a reciprocal agreement of artistic admiration for personal pleasures. The wording is refined, blending refined traditions with candid expressions of yearning.
In the lines, the poet rejects common motifs of one-sided affection, including sadness and tears, arguing they obscure true charm. He favors joy and admiration to showcase the woman's attributes, assuring to portray her eyes as shining orbs and her tresses as drifting air. This method highlights a realistic yet clever view on relationships.
Significant Components of the Composition
- Reciprocal Arrangement: The work centers on a suggestion of praise in exchange for delight, highlighting equality between the parties.
- Spurning of Standard Motifs: The speaker criticizes typical artistic tools like sadness and similes of pain, preferring upbeat descriptions.
- Poetic Craftsmanship: The employment of diverse verse measures and flow demonstrates the writer's mastery in poetry, producing a fluid and captivating experience.
Wealthy Nature’s treasury (which is the Bard's Wealth)
I shall spend, to embellish
One's beauties, if your Source of Joy
In matching appreciation
One but open, so we mutually bless.
The verse encapsulates the central arrangement, in which the writer promises to utilize his creative gifts to praise the lady, in exchange for her receptiveness. This phraseology mixes pious overtones with physical desires, giving profundity to the verse's message.