For a Lady That Desired Me to Show Affection

Given that you freely given me consent to love,
How will you respond?
Am I to your joy, or passion arouse,
When I start to court;
Will you torment, or mock, or cherish me too?

All trivial grace can scorn, and I
Spight of your dislike
Lacking your consent can see, and die;
Bestow a nobler Fate!
It is effortless to demolish, you can create.

Then give me leave to cherish, & cherish me too
Not with intent
To uplift, as Love's accursed defiers act
When puling Bards moan,
Fame to their grace, from their blubber’d eyne.

Sadness is a pond and reflects not distinct
One's beauty’s rayes;
Delights are pure currents, your gaze look
Morose in gloomier songs,
In joyful lines they shine luminous with acclaim.

Which will not refer to portray you fair
Harms, flames, and shafts,
Gales in your brow, nets in your hair,
Corrupting all your features,
Or else to betray, or torture trapped souls.

I shall make your gaze like dawn stars appear,
Just as mild, and fayr;
Thy brow as Crystall even, and clear,
Whereas your tousled hair
Will stream like a serene Area of the Ayr.

Abundant The natural world's treasury (which is the Bard's Treasure)
I’l use, to adorn
One's charms, if your Mine of Pleasure
Through equal appreciation
You but unlock, so we each other favor.

Exploring the Verse's Ideas

This piece examines the relationship of passion and acclaim, as the narrator speaks to a lady who seeks his devotion. Conversely, he proposes a reciprocal arrangement of artistic admiration for intimate pleasures. This wording is refined, combining polished traditions with frank expressions of longing.

Within the verses, the poet spurns usual themes of unreturned affection, like sadness and weeping, arguing they dim true charm. The speaker favors joy and acclaim to highlight the woman's attributes, vowing to portray her eyes as shining orbs and her hair as drifting breeze. The approach emphasizes a pragmatic yet clever view on connections.

Significant Components of the Piece

• Mutual Arrangement: The work centers on a offer of praise in trade for delight, stressing balance between the individuals.
• Spurning of Conventional Ideas: The speaker disparages typical artistic devices like sadness and metaphors of anguish, choosing upbeat depictions.
• Artistic Artistry: The employment of varied line lengths and rhythm displays the writer's proficiency in composition, creating a graceful and compelling read.

Abundant Nature's treasury (which is the Writer's Treasure)
I shall spend, to embellish
One's beauties, if your Wellspring of Joy
With equall gratitude
One but unlock, so we each other favor.

The stanza captures the core arrangement, in which the author vows to utilize his inventive abilities to celebrate the maiden, in return for her receptiveness. The language combines pious undertones with physical yearnings, giving depth to the poem's meaning.