For a Lady That Desired Me to Show Affection
Now you have granted me permission to love,
What will you respond?
Am I to your joy, or ardor arouse,
As I begin to court;
Do you torment, or scorn, or love me too?
Each petty charm can scorn, and I
Spight of your aversion
Lacking your permission can perceive, and perish;
Grant a loftier Destiny!
It's simple to destroy, you can fashion.
Therefore grant me permission to adore, & love me too
Without intent
To raise, as Love's damned rebels do
As whining Poets moan,
Renown to their beauty, from their tearful eyne.
Sadness is a pool and reflects not clear
One's grace's beams;
Delights are pure streames, your eyes look
Morose in more sorrowful songs,
Within cheerfull verses they shine luminous with acclaim.
What will not mention to portray you lovely
Harms, flames, and shafts,
Storms in your forehead, traps in your hayr,
Bribing all your attributes,
Or else to betray, or afflict ensnared souls.
I shall cause your vision like sunrise suns seem,
Like soft, and fair;
Thy forehead as Crystall polished, and clear,
Whereas your dishevelled locks
Shall flow like a tranquil Area of the Ayr.
Wealthy Nature’s store (which is the Poet’s Treasure)
I’l expend, to embellish
Thy charms, if your Mine of Delight
Through matching thankfulness
One but release, so we one another favor.
Delving into the Work's Ideas
This composition examines the relationship of love and acclaim, where the poet engages with a woman who requests his love. Rather, he offers a reciprocal agreement of poetic praise for intimate delights. This language is elegant, blending polished norms with direct utterances of desire.
In the stanzas, the author spurns usual motifs of unreturned affection, like grief and tears, arguing they dim true charm. He chooses happiness and admiration to highlight the maiden's features, promising to portray her gaze as shining orbs and her tresses as flowing atmosphere. The method underscores a realistic yet artful outlook on relationships.
Key Components of the Piece
- Reciprocal Agreement: The work centers on a proposal of admiration in exchange for pleasure, stressing parity between the parties.
- Dismissal of Standard Themes: The narrator disparages typical artistic tools like sorrow and imagery of pain, favoring upbeat imagery.
- Poetic Craftsmanship: The use of mixed verse lengths and flow displays the writer's mastery in poetry, creating a smooth and engaging read.
Wealthy Nature's hoard (which is the Bard's Treasure)
I will spend, to dress
Thy graces, if your Wellspring of Delight
In equall gratitude
One but unlock, so we mutually grace.
The verse captures the essential arrangement, where the writer promises to employ his creative abilities to praise the woman, as compensation for her receptiveness. The wording mixes spiritual overtones with physical desires, providing profundity to the work's theme.