To a Lady That Desired Me to Show Affection
Now you have freely given me leave to love,
What shall you act?
Will I your delight, or emotion arouse,
When I start to court;
Shall you torment, or scorn, or adore me too?
Every minor beauty can disdain, and I
Despite your hate
Lacking your leave can see, and succumb;
Grant a loftier Lot!
’Tis easy to ruin, you may create.
Thus give me consent to cherish, & adore me too
Not with purpose
To raise, as Affection's accursed rebels act
While puling Bards moan,
Fame to their charm, from their tearful gaze.
Grief is a puddle and mirrors not distinct
One's grace's lights;
Delights are clear currents, your gaze seem
Sullen in more sorrowful verses,
Through joyful lines they radiate luminous with praise.
What shall not mention to describe you fair
Wounds, fires, and shafts,
Storms in your countenance, nets in your hair,
Bribing all your features,
Either to deceive, or torment trapped hearts.
I’ll cause your gaze like morning orbs seem,
Just as gentle, and lovely;
One's forehead as Crystall polished, and clear,
And your tousled locks
May drift like a serene Zone of the Air.
Wealthy Nature’s store (which is the Bard's Riches)
I will expend, to adorn
One's graces, if your Wellspring of Joy
With matching gratitude
One but open, so we each other bless.
Examining the Work's Motifs
This piece delves the dynamics of passion and admiration, where the speaker engages with a lady who desires his love. Instead, he proposes a shared exchange of poetic admiration for intimate pleasures. The wording is graceful, mixing courtly norms with direct statements of yearning.
Within the verses, the writer spurns typical themes of unreturned passion, including sorrow and lamentation, stating they dim true charm. The speaker prefers joy and acclaim to emphasize the woman's qualities, vowing to portray her gaze as bright suns and her hair as drifting breeze. The method underscores a pragmatic yet skillful view on bonds.
Significant Elements of the Composition
- Reciprocal Agreement: The work focuses on a offer of tribute in exchange for delight, highlighting balance between the persons.
- Spurning of Traditional Ideas: The narrator criticizes common literary techniques like sorrow and similes of suffering, preferring optimistic imagery.
- Poetic Artistry: The application of mixed line measures and cadence demonstrates the author's expertise in verse, producing a graceful and captivating experience.
Wealthy The natural world's store (which is the Writer's Riches)
I’l spend, to dress
One's graces, if your Wellspring of Delight
In matching gratitude
You but unlock, so we mutually favor.
This section captures the central deal, as the poet promises to utilize his artistic talents to celebrate the lady, in exchange for her receptiveness. This wording mixes pious hints with worldly longings, giving profundity to the poem's theme.