To a Lady Who Requested I Would Love Her

Now you have freely given me consent to love,
How will you respond?
Shall I your delight, or emotion move,
Once I start to woo;
Shall you torment, or mock, or adore me too?

Every minor beauty can reject, and I
Despite your dislike
Lacking your consent can perceive, and perish;
Bestow a grander Lot!
It's simple to ruin, you can create.

Then grant me leave to adore, & cherish me too
Lacking intent
To elevate, as Loves damned insurgents act
As whining Poets moan,
Renown to their charm, from their blubber’d eyne.

Sorrow is a puddle and reflects not clear
One's grace's lights;
Joyes are untainted streams, your vision seem
Gloomy in more sorrowful layes,
Within joyful lines they gleam bright with prayse.

What may not refer to describe you fair
Wounds, flames, and shafts,
Gales in your countenance, nets in your hair,
Suborning all your attributes,
Either to betray, or torment trapped souls.

I will cause your vision like dawn stars look,
Just as mild, and fayr;
One's forehead as glass polished, and clear,
And your tousled hayr
May drift like a calm Area of the Ayr.

Rich Nature's store (which is the Bard's Treasure)
I will use, to embellish
Your beauties, if your Mine of Delight
In matching thankfulness
One but unlock, so we one another favor.

Delving into the Work's Ideas

This work delves the interplay of love and admiration, in which the poet addresses a maiden who seeks his devotion. Instead, he offers a reciprocal exchange of literary tribute for personal pleasures. This language is refined, mixing polished conventions with frank expressions of desire.

Through the verses, the poet rejects typical motifs of unrequited affection, such as sadness and weeping, claiming they dim true charm. The speaker favors delight and admiration to showcase the maiden's attributes, promising to depict her eyes as bright stars and her tresses as flowing air. This approach emphasizes a practical yet artful perspective on connections.

Important Elements of the Piece

  • Mutual Arrangement: The poem focuses on a offer of tribute in exchange for delight, highlighting equality between the individuals.
  • Dismissal of Conventional Ideas: The speaker disparages usual literary tools like sadness and similes of pain, favoring upbeat descriptions.
  • Creative Artistry: The use of varied verse patterns and flow demonstrates the author's proficiency in verse, forming a graceful and engaging text.
Rich Nature's hoard (which is the Writer's Riches)
I shall spend, to dress
Thy beauties, if your Source of Delight
In matching thankfulness
Thou but open, so we one another bless.

The stanza encapsulates the central bargain, where the writer promises to employ his inventive gifts to celebrate the woman, in return for her openness. This phraseology blends spiritual undertones with worldly longings, giving profundity to the work's theme.

Zachary Lester
Zachary Lester

Urban planner and writer with over a decade of experience in sustainable development and community engagement.