For a Lady Who Desired I Would Love Her
Since you've granted me consent to love,
How will you do?
Am I to your mirth, or emotion move,
Once I commence pursue;
Shall you torment, or disdain, or adore me too?
All trivial grace can disdain, and I
Spight of your aversion
Lacking your leave can observe, and die;
Dispense a nobler Lot!
It is effortless to ruin, you can fashion.
Therefore allow me permission to love, & cherish me too
Without purpose
To raise, as Loves damned insurgents do
While complaining Bards whine,
Fame to their charm, from their tearful gaze.
Sadness is a pool and reflects not distinct
Thy beauty’s rayes;
Delights are untainted streams, your gaze look
Morose in gloomier songs,
Within cheerfull numbers they shine bright with acclaim.
That will not allude to express you lovely
Injuries, flames, and shafts,
Tempests in your countenance, snares in your locks,
Suborning all your parts,
Or to deceive, or torture captive affections.
I’ll cause your eyes like morning suns look,
As soft, and lovely;
One's countenance as Crystall even, and transparent,
Whereas your tousled locks
Will drift like a calm Region of the Air.
Abundant Nature’s hoard (which is the Bard's Wealth)
I shall use, to dress
Your graces, if your Wellspring of Delight
In equall thankfulness
Thou but unlock, so we mutually grace.
Exploring the Work's Ideas
This piece examines the dynamics of affection and admiration, where the poet engages with a lady who requests his affection. Rather, he suggests a reciprocal exchange of poetic admiration for personal pleasures. The phraseology is graceful, mixing polished traditions with candid utterances of desire.
In the lines, the poet dismisses usual themes of unrequited passion, like sorrow and weeping, claiming they obscure true grace. He favors happiness and admiration to highlight the lady's features, assuring to render her gaze as bright suns and her hair as flowing air. The approach emphasizes a realistic yet clever outlook on connections.
Important Aspects of the Work
- Mutual Arrangement: The poem focuses on a proposal of tribute in trade for enjoyment, stressing equality between the parties.
- Dismissal of Standard Ideas: The narrator disparages common poetic tools like grief and imagery of pain, favoring upbeat imagery.
- Creative Artistry: The application of mixed line measures and cadence showcases the author's expertise in poetry, creating a graceful and engaging experience.
Rich The natural world's hoard (which is the Writer's Wealth)
I shall use, to adorn
One's graces, if your Source of Delight
Through equal thankfulness
One but unlock, so we one another bless.
The stanza captures the essential bargain, in which the poet vows to utilize his inventive abilities to celebrate the woman, in exchange for her receptiveness. This wording mixes pious undertones with physical longings, giving profundity to the poem's message.