To a Lady Who Requested Me to Show Affection
Since you've granted me permission to love,
What shall you respond?
Am I to your mirth, or ardor move,
Once I commence pursue;
Shall you trouble, or scorn, or cherish me too?
Each petty grace can scorn, and I
Spight of your hate
Lacking your leave can see, and perish;
Grant a grander Fate!
It's simple to destroy, you can create.
Thus allow me permission to adore, & adore me too
Without design
To uplift, as Love's cursed defiers do
As puling Poets whine,
Renown to their grace, from their weeping eyes.
Sadness is a pool and reflects not distinct
Your beauty’s lights;
Delights are clear currents, your vision look
Sullen in gloomier songs,
Within cheerfull numbers they radiate bright with praise.
What may not mention to express you fayr
Injuries, fires, and shafts,
Storms in your brow, snares in your hair,
Corrupting all your features,
Either to trick, or afflict trapped hearts.
I will make your gaze like sunrise suns look,
As gentle, and fair;
Your forehead as crystal polished, and pure,
Whereas your unkempt hayr
Will stream like a calm Region of the Atmosphere.
Abundant The natural world's store (which is the Bard's Treasure)
I shall expend, to dress
Your graces, if your Source of Delight
With matching gratitude
One but release, so we one another grace.
Examining the Poem's Motifs
The piece examines the relationship of passion and admiration, in which the narrator addresses a maiden who requests his devotion. Conversely, he proposes a shared arrangement of literary praise for intimate pleasures. The language is graceful, mixing polished norms with candid expressions of desire.
In the verses, the author rejects typical motifs of one-sided affection, including sadness and weeping, arguing they obscure true charm. The speaker prefers delight and praise to showcase the lady's features, assuring to render her eyes as radiant stars and her hair as flowing atmosphere. The method emphasizes a pragmatic yet skillful view on bonds.
Key Aspects of the Piece
- Mutual Exchange: The work centers on a proposal of praise in trade for pleasure, emphasizing equality between the persons.
- Dismissal of Standard Motifs: The narrator condemns common poetic tools like sorrow and metaphors of suffering, preferring positive depictions.
- Poetic Skill: The employment of diverse verse measures and flow displays the author's expertise in poetry, forming a fluid and compelling experience.
Wealthy Nature's treasury (which is the Poet’s Wealth)
I shall use, to embellish
Thy charms, if your Mine of Delight
With matching gratitude
Thou but unlock, so we mutually favor.
The stanza encapsulates the central arrangement, in which the poet promises to use his artistic gifts to praise the maiden, as compensation for her openness. This wording mixes spiritual overtones with physical desires, giving profundity to the poem's theme.