Addressing a Lady That Requested I Would Love Her

Now you have granted me permission to love,
What will you respond?
Shall I your delight, or emotion move,
When I start to woo;
Will you torment, or scorn, or love me too?

Each petty beauty can scorn, and I
In spite of your dislike
Without your consent can perceive, and succumb;
Dispense a loftier Destiny!
’Tis easy to destroy, you can create.

Then give me permission to love, & cherish me too
Not with intent
To uplift, as Affection's damned rebels do
As whining Bards lament,
Fame to their grace, from their blubber’d gaze.

Sorrow is a pool and reflects not distinct
Your beauty’s rayes;
Joyes are untainted streames, your vision look
Sullen in more sorrowful verses,
In happy lines they shine luminous with acclaim.

What will not mention to portray you fair
Harms, flames, and arrows,
Tempests in your brow, snares in your locks,
Corrupting all your parts,
Or else to trick, or torment captive hearts.

I will make your eyes like sunrise suns appear,
Just as soft, and fayr;
Thy brow as Crystall even, and clear,
And your unkempt locks
May drift like a tranquil Area of the Ayr.

Rich Nature's store (which is the Writer's Treasure)
I will expend, to embellish
One's graces, if your Mine of Joy
In equal thankfulness
You but unlock, so we each other grace.

Examining the Poem's Ideas

This composition examines the interplay of passion and acclaim, where the speaker engages with a woman who desires his affection. Rather, he offers a shared agreement of artistic praise for private pleasures. This phraseology is graceful, blending courtly traditions with frank utterances of yearning.

Through the stanzas, the poet dismisses usual themes of unrequited love, such as sadness and tears, claiming they dim true charm. He chooses happiness and praise to showcase the lady's features, assuring to depict her eyes as radiant suns and her hair as flowing air. This approach highlights a realistic yet artful outlook on bonds.

Key Aspects of the Piece

  • Mutual Exchange: The poem centers on a suggestion of praise in return for pleasure, emphasizing balance between the persons.
  • Dismissal of Standard Ideas: The narrator disparages common artistic techniques like sadness and similes of suffering, preferring optimistic imagery.
  • Creative Artistry: The use of mixed meter patterns and rhythm displays the writer's proficiency in poetry, producing a graceful and compelling experience.
Wealthy Nature's store (which is the Writer's Treasure)
I shall expend, to adorn
Your graces, if your Source of Pleasure
With matching gratitude
One but release, so we mutually grace.

This verse captures the essential bargain, in which the author pledges to employ his artistic abilities to celebrate the lady, in exchange for her receptiveness. The phraseology combines pious overtones with worldly yearnings, giving profundity to the verse's theme.

Michael Bush
Michael Bush

A passionate interior designer and lifestyle blogger with over a decade of experience in creating beautiful, functional spaces.