Addressing a Lady That Requested Me to Love Her
Since you've bestowed me permission to love,
How will you do?
Will I your delight, or emotion arouse,
Once I start to court;
Will you torment, or mock, or cherish me too?
Each petty beauty can reject, and I
Despite your dislike
Absent your consent can see, and succumb;
Grant a loftier Destiny!
It is effortless to demolish, you may form.
Therefore grant me permission to love, & adore me too
Not with intent
To elevate, as Loves accursed defiers act
When whining Versifiers lament,
Acclaim to their charm, from their weeping eyes.
Sadness is a pool and mirrors not clear
Thy grace's rayes;
Joyes are untainted streames, your vision appear
Morose in more sorrowful verses,
Through cheerfull lines they radiate luminous with praise.
Which shall not allude to express you lovely
Injuries, fires, and arrows,
Storms in your brow, snares in your hair,
Bribing all your parts,
Either to betray, or torture captive affections.
I shall make your vision like sunrise orbs seem,
Like mild, and fair;
Thy forehead as glass smooth, and pure,
While your dishevelled hair
Shall flow like a tranquil Region of the Ayr.
Wealthy Nature’s hoard (which is the Bard's Riches)
I’l use, to adorn
Your graces, if your Source of Joy
With matching appreciation
One but release, so we each other favor.
Exploring the Work's Motifs
The composition delves the dynamics of passion and admiration, as the narrator speaks to a woman who seeks his affection. Conversely, he proposes a shared arrangement of poetic praise for personal pleasures. This phraseology is graceful, mixing polished conventions with direct utterances of yearning.
In the stanzas, the writer dismisses common tropes of unrequited love, including sadness and tears, arguing they obscure true beauty. He chooses joy and admiration to highlight the maiden's qualities, vowing to render her vision as radiant stars and her tresses as flowing breeze. This technique underscores a pragmatic yet skillful perspective on bonds.
Significant Elements of the Piece
- Shared Agreement: The work focuses on a proposal of tribute in trade for enjoyment, highlighting balance between the persons.
- Spurning of Traditional Themes: The narrator criticizes usual literary techniques like sadness and imagery of suffering, preferring optimistic descriptions.
- Artistic Skill: The employment of diverse meter measures and flow demonstrates the writer's expertise in composition, producing a fluid and captivating text.
Abundant The natural world's treasury (which is the Writer's Riches)
I will expend, to adorn
One's beauties, if your Mine of Joy
In matching gratitude
Thou but open, so we mutually bless.
The verse captures the central arrangement, as the author vows to utilize his creative talents to celebrate the woman, in return for her receptiveness. The language combines spiritual undertones with physical desires, adding depth to the work's message.