Addressing a Lady That Requested Me to Show Affection

Now you have granted me consent to love,
What shall you respond?
Will I your joy, or emotion arouse,
Once I start to court;
Shall you distress, or disdain, or adore me too?

All trivial grace can disdain, and I
In spite of your dislike
Absent your permission can see, and succumb;
Bestow a grander Destiny!
It's simple to ruin, you may form.

Therefore give me permission to adore, & cherish me too
Lacking design
To uplift, as Affection's cursed insurgents behave
As complaining Versifiers moan,
Acclaim to their grace, from their tearful gaze.

Sadness is a pool and mirrors not distinct
One's grace's rayes;
Delights are pure streames, your eyes appear
Gloomy in sadder verses,
In cheerfull verses they radiate brilliant with prayse.

That shall not allude to describe you fayr
Wounds, flames, and arrows,
Gales in your forehead, nets in your hayr,
Bribing all your attributes,
Or to trick, or torment trapped hearts.

I shall cause your gaze like dawn stars look,
As mild, and lovely;
Your brow as crystal even, and transparent,
While your dishevelled locks
Will drift like a serene Region of the Ayr.

Abundant Nature’s store (which is the Writer's Treasure)
I’l expend, to adorn
Thy beauties, if your Mine of Pleasure
With equall gratitude
One but unlock, so we one another favor.

Exploring the Verse's Themes

The composition delves the interplay of passion and praise, as the speaker engages with a maiden who desires his love. Conversely, he proposes a shared agreement of poetic tribute for personal favors. This wording is elegant, combining polished traditions with frank utterances of desire.

In the stanzas, the writer dismisses common motifs of one-sided love, including sadness and tears, arguing they dim true beauty. The speaker favors delight and admiration to emphasize the woman's attributes, assuring to depict her eyes as radiant suns and her hair as streaming breeze. This technique highlights a realistic yet skillful view on connections.

Significant Aspects of the Work

  • Reciprocal Arrangement: The poem revolves on a offer of admiration in exchange for delight, emphasizing parity between the persons.
  • Spurning of Traditional Themes: The speaker condemns common literary devices like sadness and metaphors of pain, favoring positive imagery.
  • Creative Skill: The employment of varied verse lengths and rhythm displays the writer's expertise in verse, producing a graceful and engaging experience.
Abundant Nature's hoard (which is the Writer's Treasure)
I will spend, to adorn
One's graces, if your Wellspring of Pleasure
Through equall thankfulness
You but open, so we each other favor.

The stanza summarizes the essential arrangement, as the writer pledges to employ his creative talents to praise the woman, as compensation for her openness. This language combines pious overtones with worldly longings, giving complexity to the work's meaning.

Dennis Hickman
Dennis Hickman

A seasoned journalist with a focus on UK political analysis and investigative reporting.