To a Lady Who Requested Me to Show Affection

Now you have bestowed me consent to love,
What shall you act?
Will I your delight, or ardor move,
As I start to pursue;
Do you torment, or disdain, or adore me too?

Each petty grace can disdain, and I
Spight of your dislike
Absent your leave can perceive, and perish;
Bestow a nobler Fate!
’Tis easy to demolish, you may fashion.

Then give me permission to love, & cherish me too
Lacking intent
To uplift, as Love's cursed defiers do
When whining Versifiers whine,
Renown to their grace, from their blubber’d eyne.

Grief is a puddle and mirrors not distinct
Thy beauty’s beams;
Joyes are pure currents, your gaze seem
Morose in gloomier layes,
Within joyful verses they radiate brilliant with prayse.

What may not allude to express you fayr
Wounds, flames, and darts,
Tempests in your brow, snares in your hair,
Corrupting all your features,
Or else to betray, or torment trapped hearts.

I will cause your gaze like morning suns look,
As gentle, and fayr;
Thy brow as glass polished, and clear,
And your tousled locks
Shall drift like a tranquil Region of the Atmosphere.

Abundant The natural world's treasury (which is the Bard's Treasure)
I’l expend, to dress
Your charms, if your Mine of Delight
Through equall gratitude
Thou but release, so we each other bless.

Delving into the Work's Themes

The work examines the relationship of passion and acclaim, where the speaker engages with a maiden who requests his affection. Conversely, he suggests a mutual agreement of poetic tribute for personal favors. The wording is elegant, mixing courtly norms with direct statements of longing.

Within the lines, the author rejects typical themes of unrequited love, such as sadness and weeping, claiming they dim true charm. The speaker chooses happiness and praise to highlight the maiden's features, vowing to render her gaze as shining orbs and her hair as flowing atmosphere. This technique emphasizes a realistic yet clever perspective on relationships.

Important Aspects of the Piece

  • Shared Arrangement: The work centers on a suggestion of admiration in trade for delight, stressing equality between the individuals.
  • Dismissal of Traditional Themes: The narrator condemns common poetic techniques like grief and similes of pain, choosing positive depictions.
  • Creative Artistry: The application of mixed line lengths and rhythm displays the writer's expertise in verse, producing a fluid and engaging read.
Wealthy Nature's hoard (which is the Poet’s Treasure)
I will expend, to dress
Your beauties, if your Source of Joy
Through equal thankfulness
You but open, so we mutually grace.

This verse encapsulates the core bargain, in which the writer promises to utilize his artistic gifts to celebrate the lady, in return for her receptiveness. The wording blends pious hints with earthly yearnings, providing profundity to the work's theme.

Thomas Roberts
Thomas Roberts

Award-winning journalist with a passion for human rights and investigative reporting across diverse cultures.