To a Lady Who Desired Me to Show Affection

Since you've bestowed me consent to love,
What shall you do?
Will I your mirth, or emotion move,
When I start to pursue;
Shall you distress, or mock, or adore me too?

Every minor charm can disdain, and I
Spight of your hate
Without your leave can perceive, and succumb;
Dispense a nobler Destiny!
It is effortless to destroy, you could form.

Thus grant me consent to love, & adore me too
Lacking design
To uplift, as Loves cursed insurgents act
When complaining Poets whine,
Renown to their grace, from their tearful eyes.

Sorrow is a puddle and shows not bright
Thy beauty’s beams;
Joyes are clear streams, your eyes seem
Gloomy in sadder songs,
Through joyful verses they radiate bright with acclaim.

That may not allude to express you lovely
Harms, flames, and darts,
Storms in your countenance, snares in your hair,
Suborning all your features,
Or to betray, or afflict ensnared hearts.

I’ll make your vision like sunrise stars seem,
As soft, and fair;
One's brow as crystal smooth, and pure,
Whereas your dishevelled hair
Shall stream like a serene Area of the Air.

Wealthy Nature’s store (which is the Bard's Riches)
I will spend, to embellish
Thy charms, if your Wellspring of Joy
In matching appreciation
One but release, so we each other grace.

Exploring the Verse's Motifs

This composition explores the relationship of affection and admiration, as the speaker engages with a woman who seeks his affection. Conversely, he offers a mutual arrangement of literary admiration for intimate favors. The phraseology is elegant, mixing courtly norms with direct utterances of desire.

Within the stanzas, the writer spurns common themes of unreturned love, including grief and lamentation, arguing they cloud true beauty. He prefers joy and praise to emphasize the woman's attributes, promising to depict her eyes as shining suns and her locks as flowing breeze. This method underscores a practical yet clever perspective on relationships.

Important Components of the Piece

  • Shared Agreement: The work centers on a proposal of praise in trade for enjoyment, stressing parity between the individuals.
  • Dismissal of Conventional Ideas: The poet criticizes typical literary techniques like sorrow and metaphors of suffering, choosing optimistic depictions.
  • Creative Skill: The employment of mixed verse measures and rhythm displays the poet's mastery in poetry, producing a graceful and captivating read.
Wealthy The natural world's hoard (which is the Bard's Wealth)
I shall spend, to dress
Your beauties, if your Source of Joy
With equall thankfulness
One but unlock, so we each other bless.

The stanza captures the core bargain, in which the author pledges to use his creative talents to praise the maiden, as compensation for her receptiveness. The phraseology mixes pious hints with physical longings, giving complexity to the verse's theme.

Kathleen Huynh
Kathleen Huynh

Tech enthusiast and creative writer passionate about sharing innovative ideas and practical advice for modern life.