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Given that you bestowed me leave to love,
What shall you respond?
Am I to your joy, or ardor move,
As I commence pursue;
Will you torment, or mock, or adore me too?

All trivial beauty can scorn, and I
Despite your aversion
Absent your consent can observe, and perish;
Grant a grander Fate!
It is effortless to destroy, you can create.

Thus grant me permission to cherish, & love me too
Not with design
To uplift, as Affection's accursed rebels act
As complaining Versifiers whine,
Acclaim to their charm, from their weeping eyes.

Sorrow is a pond and shows not bright
Your beauty’s beams;
Delights are clear streams, your vision seem
Sullen in gloomier layes,
Through cheerfull verses they gleam bright with acclaim.

What shall not mention to express you lovely
Wounds, fires, and shafts,
Tempests in your countenance, traps in your hair,
Suborning all your features,
Or else to trick, or torture trapped souls.

I shall make your eyes like morning orbs appear,
Just as soft, and fayr;
Thy forehead as crystal polished, and pure,
And your unkempt locks
Shall drift like a tranquil Area of the Ayr.

Wealthy The natural world's hoard (which is the Writer's Wealth)
I shall use, to adorn
One's beauties, if your Mine of Delight
With matching thankfulness
One but unlock, so we one another favor.

Exploring the Verse's Motifs

This work examines the interplay of affection and acclaim, in which the narrator speaks to a lady who requests his love. Instead, he proposes a reciprocal exchange of poetic praise for intimate delights. The phraseology is elegant, blending refined norms with frank utterances of yearning.

Through the lines, the poet spurns common themes of unrequited affection, such as sorrow and lamentation, arguing they cloud true grace. The speaker prefers delight and acclaim to emphasize the lady's qualities, vowing to depict her eyes as bright orbs and her hair as streaming air. This method underscores a realistic yet skillful outlook on connections.

Significant Components of the Work

• Mutual Exchange: The poem revolves on a offer of praise in exchange for delight, highlighting balance between the persons.
• Spurning of Standard Ideas: The narrator disparages typical poetic tools like grief and imagery of suffering, favoring positive imagery.
• Creative Artistry: The application of varied meter measures and cadence showcases the poet's proficiency in verse, forming a fluid and captivating experience.

Abundant The natural world's treasury (which is the Poet’s Riches)
I shall use, to dress
Thy charms, if your Source of Joy
With matching gratitude
You but open, so we each other bless.

The stanza encapsulates the essential bargain, as the poet vows to use his artistic talents to praise the woman, in return for her willingness. The wording combines devout hints with worldly yearnings, providing profundity to the work's meaning.