For a Lady Who Wished Me to Love Her

Since you've freely given me leave to love,
What will you respond?
Will I your joy, or emotion stir,
As I commence woo;
Shall you torment, or mock, or love me too?

All trivial grace can scorn, and I
Spight of your aversion
Absent your consent can see, and perish;
Dispense a grander Fate!
It is effortless to demolish, you can create.

Thus give me leave to love, & love me too
Lacking intent
To uplift, as Love's cursed defiers act
As complaining Versifiers moan,
Renown to their grace, from their blubber’d eyes.

Sadness is a pond and shows not distinct
Thy grace's beams;
Joyes are clear streames, your vision appear
Gloomy in more sorrowful verses,
In cheerfull numbers they radiate brilliant with prayse.

That will not mention to describe you fayr
Wounds, flames, and darts,
Gales in your forehead, nets in your hair,
Corrupting all your attributes,
Or to deceive, or afflict trapped affections.

I will cause your eyes like dawn suns look,
As gentle, and fayr;
Your brow as crystal even, and pure,
While your dishevelled hayr
May flow like a serene Zone of the Atmosphere.

Rich Nature’s store (which is the Poet’s Treasure)
I shall use, to dress
Your charms, if your Source of Delight
Through equal appreciation
Thou but open, so we mutually favor.

Exploring the Poem's Themes

This work delves the relationship of love and admiration, in which the poet addresses a woman who seeks his affection. Rather, he offers a shared arrangement of literary admiration for private delights. The phraseology is graceful, combining refined conventions with direct utterances of longing.

Through the verses, the poet rejects typical motifs of unrequited love, like sadness and lamentation, arguing they dim true charm. The speaker chooses joy and acclaim to showcase the maiden's qualities, assuring to depict her vision as bright suns and her hair as flowing air. The technique emphasizes a realistic yet artful outlook on relationships.

Important Elements of the Composition

• Shared Exchange: The work focuses on a suggestion of praise in trade for pleasure, stressing equality between the parties.
• Rejection of Standard Ideas: The narrator disparages usual poetic tools like grief and metaphors of anguish, preferring upbeat imagery.
• Artistic Artistry: The employment of varied line patterns and rhythm displays the poet's expertise in verse, creating a graceful and compelling experience.

Rich The natural world's treasury (which is the Poet’s Riches)
I shall expend, to dress
Your graces, if your Mine of Delight
With matching thankfulness
One but release, so we mutually favor.

This section summarizes the central arrangement, in which the poet vows to employ his inventive abilities to praise the lady, as compensation for her willingness. This phraseology combines spiritual hints with worldly yearnings, providing complexity to the verse's theme.