To a Lady Who Requested I Would Show Affection

Since you've bestowed me leave to love,
What shall you respond?
Will I your joy, or emotion move,
As I begin to pursue;
Do you torment, or disdain, or adore me too?

All trivial grace can reject, and I
In spite of your hate
Absent your consent can perceive, and succumb;
Bestow a grander Fate!
’Tis easy to destroy, you could create.

Therefore allow me leave to love, & adore me too
Not with intent
To raise, as Loves cursed rebels do
As complaining Versifiers moan,
Acclaim to their beauty, from their tearful eyes.

Sadness is a pond and reflects not distinct
Your charm's lights;
Delights are pure streames, your vision look
Gloomy in sadder verses,
In happy verses they radiate brilliant with praise.

What will not allude to portray you fair
Wounds, flames, and darts,
Storms in your brow, traps in your hair,
Suborning all your features,
Or else to betray, or torment ensnared affections.

I will render your eyes like dawn stars seem,
As soft, and lovely;
Your brow as glass polished, and transparent,
And your dishevelled locks
Shall stream like a tranquil Region of the Air.

Rich Nature's treasury (which is the Writer's Riches)
I will expend, to embellish
Your graces, if your Wellspring of Joy
In equal thankfulness
One but open, so we each other bless.

Examining the Work's Themes

This composition delves the dynamics of passion and praise, in which the narrator speaks to a maiden who requests his devotion. Instead, he proposes a mutual arrangement of poetic praise for private favors. The phraseology is graceful, combining courtly conventions with direct expressions of longing.

Through the stanzas, the writer spurns usual themes of one-sided love, like grief and weeping, arguing they obscure true grace. He chooses joy and admiration to emphasize the woman's features, promising to render her gaze as bright orbs and her tresses as streaming breeze. The approach highlights a realistic yet clever perspective on relationships.

Key Components of the Composition

  • Mutual Exchange: The poem focuses on a suggestion of praise in exchange for pleasure, stressing balance between the parties.
  • Dismissal of Traditional Themes: The poet disparages typical poetic devices like sorrow and metaphors of anguish, favoring optimistic imagery.
  • Poetic Artistry: The use of mixed verse measures and rhythm demonstrates the poet's mastery in composition, creating a graceful and compelling text.
Abundant Nature’s hoard (which is the Poet’s Riches)
I shall use, to embellish
Your charms, if your Mine of Pleasure
Through matching thankfulness
One but release, so we each other grace.

The section encapsulates the central deal, as the writer vows to use his inventive gifts to celebrate the lady, as compensation for her willingness. The phraseology blends spiritual hints with earthly yearnings, providing complexity to the work's meaning.

Peter Sullivan
Peter Sullivan

Certified fitness coach and wellness advocate with over a decade of experience in helping individuals achieve their health goals through sustainable practices.