To a Lady Who Desired I Would Show Affection
Now you have bestowed me permission to love,
What shall you respond?
Will I your joy, or emotion arouse,
Once I commence pursue;
Shall you distress, or mock, or love me too?
All trivial charm can reject, and I
In spite of your aversion
Absent your consent can observe, and perish;
Dispense a grander Fate!
’Tis easy to destroy, you can form.
Thus allow me permission to love, & adore me too
Without design
To uplift, as Love's cursed defiers do
As puling Poets lament,
Renown to their beauty, from their blubber’d eyes.
Sadness is a pond and mirrors not bright
Your charm's lights;
Joys are clear currents, your eyes seem
Morose in more sorrowful layes,
In happy verses they shine brilliant with praise.
That may not allude to express you fayr
Injuries, flames, and darts,
Gales in your forehead, snares in your hair,
Suborning all your attributes,
Or to betray, or torment captive hearts.
I shall render your vision like morning suns look,
Just as gentle, and fayr;
Your brow as glass smooth, and transparent,
While your dishevelled locks
May drift like a calm Area of the Air.
Rich Nature's store (which is the Bard's Treasure)
I will use, to adorn
One's graces, if your Source of Delight
Through equal appreciation
One but unlock, so we one another grace.
Examining the Poem's Motifs
This work delves the relationship of passion and praise, in which the poet speaks to a woman who seeks his devotion. Instead, he offers a mutual agreement of literary admiration for private favors. This language is graceful, combining polished traditions with candid utterances of longing.
Within the lines, the author dismisses common tropes of unrequited passion, such as sorrow and weeping, stating they obscure true grace. He chooses delight and admiration to showcase the lady's features, vowing to depict her gaze as bright orbs and her tresses as drifting breeze. This technique highlights a pragmatic yet clever outlook on bonds.
Key Components of the Piece
- Reciprocal Agreement: The verse focuses on a suggestion of tribute in return for enjoyment, stressing parity between the parties.
- Rejection of Conventional Themes: The speaker criticizes typical poetic techniques like sorrow and imagery of pain, preferring optimistic descriptions.
- Artistic Craftsmanship: The use of mixed verse measures and rhythm displays the author's proficiency in composition, producing a smooth and engaging text.
Rich Nature's treasury (which is the Writer's Treasure)
I’l use, to dress
Thy beauties, if your Mine of Delight
Through matching gratitude
Thou but release, so we one another grace.
This section encapsulates the core bargain, as the author vows to use his inventive gifts to honor the maiden, in exchange for her openness. The wording mixes pious undertones with earthly yearnings, giving profundity to the poem's meaning.