To a Lady Who Requested Me to Love Her

Since you've bestowed me leave to love,
What will you act?
Will I your delight, or passion stir,
As I commence pursue;
Will you torment, or scorn, or adore me too?

All trivial grace can disdain, and I
Spight of your aversion
Without your leave can perceive, and die;
Dispense a nobler Fate!
It's simple to destroy, you could create.

Then grant me permission to cherish, & adore me too
Not with purpose
To uplift, as Affection's cursed defiers act
As complaining Poets lament,
Renown to their charm, from their weeping eyes.

Sadness is a pool and mirrors not distinct
Your beauty’s rayes;
Delights are pure streames, your vision look
Gloomy in more sorrowful layes,
In joyful numbers they radiate brilliant with prayse.

That will not mention to portray you lovely
Wounds, fires, and shafts,
Storms in your forehead, nets in your hayr,
Bribing all your features,
Either to trick, or torment captive hearts.

I’ll cause your eyes like sunrise stars seem,
Like mild, and lovely;
Your forehead as glass polished, and transparent,
And your dishevelled hayr
Shall flow like a serene Area of the Air.

Rich Nature’s store (which is the Bard's Treasure)
I will use, to adorn
Thy beauties, if your Mine of Delight
Through matching gratitude
Thou but unlock, so we mutually favor.

Exploring the Verse's Motifs

The composition explores the relationship of affection and admiration, as the narrator addresses a maiden who requests his love. Conversely, he offers a mutual arrangement of literary admiration for personal favors. The phraseology is refined, blending refined conventions with frank statements of desire.

In the stanzas, the author rejects usual motifs of one-sided affection, including sadness and tears, arguing they obscure true beauty. He favors happiness and praise to showcase the lady's features, assuring to portray her gaze as radiant suns and her hair as drifting air. This approach underscores a pragmatic yet artful view on bonds.

Key Aspects of the Composition

• Reciprocal Exchange: The work centers on a offer of admiration in return for delight, stressing equality between the individuals.
• Dismissal of Conventional Motifs: The poet disparages common literary techniques like sadness and similes of anguish, preferring optimistic imagery.
• Creative Skill: The employment of varied meter lengths and rhythm demonstrates the author's expertise in composition, creating a smooth and engaging read.

Wealthy Nature's treasury (which is the Bard's Riches)
I shall expend, to dress
Your graces, if your Wellspring of Pleasure
In equall gratitude
You but release, so we each other bless.

The section summarizes the core bargain, in which the author vows to employ his inventive abilities to celebrate the maiden, in exchange for her receptiveness. The phraseology combines spiritual hints with physical longings, giving complexity to the poem's theme.