🔗 Share this article

Now you have freely given me consent to love,
How will you respond?
Shall I your mirth, or emotion arouse,
As I start to court;
Do you distress, or disdain, or cherish me too?

Each petty beauty can disdain, and I
Spight of your aversion
Absent your permission can see, and perish;
Bestow a loftier Lot!
It's simple to demolish, you may create.

Then grant me leave to adore, & love me too
Not with intent
To uplift, as Affection's accursed rebels act
When complaining Versifiers lament,
Fame to their beauty, from their tearful eyes.

Sorrow is a pond and mirrors not bright
Your charm's rayes;
Joys are pure currents, your gaze seem
Morose in more sorrowful songs,
In happy verses they gleam brilliant with acclaim.

That will not allude to portray you fayr
Injuries, fires, and darts,
Storms in your forehead, traps in your locks,
Bribing all your attributes,
Either to betray, or afflict ensnared hearts.

I will make your gaze like morning orbs appear,
Like mild, and fayr;
Your countenance as Crystall smooth, and clear,
While your unkempt hair
Shall stream like a serene Area of the Atmosphere.

Wealthy Nature’s hoard (which is the Bard's Riches)
I will use, to embellish
One's charms, if your Source of Delight
With matching thankfulness
One but unlock, so we one another bless.

Exploring the Verse's Ideas

This piece examines the relationship of passion and acclaim, where the speaker speaks to a woman who desires his love. Rather, he proposes a reciprocal agreement of poetic praise for personal delights. The language is refined, mixing courtly traditions with direct statements of yearning.

In the lines, the author dismisses typical tropes of unreturned affection, like sadness and tears, claiming they obscure true grace. He chooses happiness and acclaim to highlight the maiden's attributes, assuring to portray her gaze as bright stars and her hair as drifting air. This technique highlights a pragmatic yet clever outlook on connections.

Important Aspects of the Composition

• Reciprocal Exchange: The poem centers on a proposal of tribute in trade for enjoyment, stressing parity between the parties.
• Dismissal of Traditional Ideas: The narrator disparages typical artistic tools like sadness and metaphors of pain, favoring positive imagery.
• Artistic Artistry: The employment of diverse meter patterns and cadence displays the author's mastery in verse, forming a fluid and captivating text.

Wealthy Nature's store (which is the Bard's Treasure)
I shall spend, to dress
Thy graces, if your Mine of Joy
In equall appreciation
One but open, so we one another grace.

The stanza captures the essential arrangement, where the poet promises to employ his creative talents to honor the woman, in exchange for her willingness. This language blends spiritual hints with worldly longings, adding depth to the work's meaning.