For a Lady Who Requested I Would Show Affection

Now you have bestowed me permission to love,
What will you respond?
Will I your mirth, or emotion move,
When I start to woo;
Shall you trouble, or mock, or adore me too?

Every minor grace can disdain, and I
Spight of your hate
Lacking your consent can observe, and perish;
Dispense a loftier Fate!
It is effortless to demolish, you can form.

Thus give me leave to love, & adore me too
Not with purpose
To raise, as Love's accursed insurgents act
When puling Poets moan,
Fame to their beauty, from their weeping eyes.

Sadness is a pond and mirrors not distinct
One's charm's lights;
Joyes are untainted streams, your eyes look
Morose in more sorrowful verses,
Within cheerfull numbers they gleam brilliant with acclaim.

What will not mention to express you lovely
Harms, flames, and shafts,
Storms in your countenance, traps in your hair,
Bribing all your parts,
Or else to betray, or torture captive hearts.

I shall make your eyes like sunrise suns seem,
As gentle, and lovely;
One's brow as crystal smooth, and clear,
And your dishevelled locks
Will flow like a tranquil Region of the Ayr.

Wealthy The natural world's store (which is the Poet’s Treasure)
I’l spend, to embellish
Thy beauties, if your Mine of Delight
In equall thankfulness
You but unlock, so we each other grace.

Exploring the Poem's Ideas

The piece examines the interplay of love and admiration, in which the poet addresses a lady who requests his affection. Instead, he offers a reciprocal arrangement of literary praise for intimate favors. This language is elegant, blending refined norms with direct expressions of longing.

In the verses, the poet dismisses common motifs of unreturned love, including sadness and tears, stating they dim true grace. He prefers happiness and acclaim to highlight the lady's features, promising to portray her eyes as bright orbs and her tresses as flowing breeze. This technique underscores a practical yet clever outlook on relationships.

Important Components of the Piece

• Mutual Arrangement: The work focuses on a proposal of praise in return for pleasure, highlighting equality between the parties.
• Dismissal of Standard Themes: The narrator condemns typical poetic techniques like sorrow and similes of pain, choosing positive imagery.
• Creative Skill: The employment of varied meter measures and flow showcases the poet's mastery in poetry, producing a smooth and engaging text.

Rich Nature’s treasury (which is the Bard's Wealth)
I shall expend, to embellish
One's graces, if your Mine of Joy
In equall thankfulness
One but unlock, so we mutually grace.

The section encapsulates the central bargain, where the writer vows to use his inventive talents to honor the maiden, in exchange for her willingness. This wording blends spiritual overtones with earthly desires, providing profundity to the work's message.