To a Lady That Desired Me to Love Her
Since you've bestowed me consent to love,
What shall you respond?
Am I to your mirth, or ardor arouse,
When I start to court;
Will you trouble, or mock, or cherish me too?
All trivial beauty can disdain, and I
Spight of your aversion
Lacking your permission can perceive, and perish;
Bestow a nobler Destiny!
It is effortless to destroy, you could form.
Thus allow me consent to cherish, & love me too
Not with intent
To elevate, as Affection's damned rebels do
As puling Versifiers lament,
Fame to their charm, from their tearful eyes.
Grief is a pool and shows not clear
Thy charm's rayes;
Delights are pure streams, your gaze seem
Gloomy in gloomier layes,
Through joyful lines they gleam bright with acclaim.
What shall not refer to express you lovely
Injuries, fires, and darts,
Storms in your forehead, traps in your locks,
Bribing all your features,
Or to betray, or torture trapped souls.
I’ll render your gaze like morning orbs seem,
Just as soft, and fayr;
Thy countenance as Crystall smooth, and clear,
And your dishevelled hayr
Shall drift like a tranquil Zone of the Atmosphere.
Rich Nature’s store (which is the Bard's Riches)
I’l spend, to adorn
Your charms, if your Wellspring of Joy
Through equal gratitude
One but unlock, so we one another favor.
Delving into the Verse's Motifs
This work explores the dynamics of passion and praise, where the speaker speaks to a lady who desires his devotion. Instead, he offers a shared agreement of artistic tribute for intimate pleasures. This phraseology is elegant, mixing polished conventions with direct expressions of desire.
Through the stanzas, the author spurns usual motifs of one-sided passion, such as sadness and tears, arguing they dim true beauty. He prefers happiness and admiration to emphasize the lady's qualities, vowing to render her vision as shining stars and her locks as streaming air. The approach highlights a realistic yet skillful view on connections.
Key Aspects of the Composition
- Shared Exchange: The poem centers on a proposal of tribute in return for delight, stressing balance between the persons.
- Rejection of Traditional Themes: The speaker criticizes typical poetic devices like grief and similes of anguish, preferring positive imagery.
- Artistic Craftsmanship: The use of mixed line lengths and flow demonstrates the poet's proficiency in composition, producing a fluid and engaging experience.
Abundant The natural world's treasury (which is the Bard's Wealth)
I’l use, to dress
One's charms, if your Wellspring of Joy
With equall thankfulness
You but open, so we each other grace.
This section captures the core arrangement, where the writer pledges to employ his artistic gifts to honor the maiden, as compensation for her receptiveness. This wording combines pious overtones with physical desires, adding profundity to the poem's theme.