🔗 Share this article

Now you have bestowed me permission to love,
What will you do?
Shall I your mirth, or emotion stir,
Once I start to court;
Shall you trouble, or scorn, or adore me too?

Every minor grace can scorn, and I
In spite of your dislike
Lacking your leave can see, and succumb;
Bestow a grander Destiny!
It is effortless to ruin, you could fashion.

Thus allow me leave to cherish, & cherish me too
Not with design
To raise, as Loves damned rebels behave
While puling Bards whine,
Acclaim to their charm, from their blubber’d gaze.

Sadness is a pond and mirrors not bright
Your charm's beams;
Joyes are pure streames, your eyes appear
Morose in gloomier verses,
Through joyful numbers they shine bright with prayse.

What will not allude to describe you lovely
Injuries, blazes, and darts,
Tempests in your forehead, nets in your hayr,
Bribing all your features,
Or to trick, or torment trapped souls.

I will cause your vision like sunrise stars look,
As gentle, and fair;
One's brow as Crystall even, and transparent,
Whereas your tousled hair
Will drift like a tranquil Region of the Atmosphere.

Rich Nature’s treasury (which is the Poet’s Treasure)
I’l spend, to adorn
Thy graces, if your Source of Joy
Through equal thankfulness
You but release, so we each other bless.

Exploring the Poem's Themes

The piece examines the dynamics of affection and praise, where the poet engages with a lady who seeks his devotion. Instead, he suggests a mutual arrangement of literary praise for intimate pleasures. The phraseology is elegant, combining courtly norms with candid statements of longing.

In the verses, the author dismisses common themes of unreturned passion, like sorrow and tears, arguing they cloud true beauty. He favors joy and admiration to highlight the woman's qualities, promising to render her eyes as bright orbs and her tresses as drifting breeze. This method highlights a practical yet skillful view on bonds.

Key Aspects of the Piece

• Mutual Exchange: The work focuses on a proposal of praise in exchange for delight, highlighting equality between the individuals.
• Spurning of Standard Themes: The narrator disparages typical literary techniques like sorrow and imagery of pain, choosing positive descriptions.
• Artistic Skill: The employment of diverse verse patterns and cadence displays the author's mastery in verse, producing a fluid and engaging read.

Abundant Nature's store (which is the Poet’s Riches)
I’l expend, to embellish
Thy graces, if your Mine of Pleasure
In matching thankfulness
One but release, so we one another favor.

The verse summarizes the central arrangement, in which the author vows to utilize his inventive abilities to praise the maiden, in return for her openness. This wording combines pious hints with worldly longings, adding profundity to the poem's meaning.