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Given that you freely given me permission to love,
What will you do?
Am I to your delight, or emotion move,
When I start to woo;
Do you torment, or scorn, or adore me too?

Each petty beauty can reject, and I
Spight of your dislike
Lacking your consent can observe, and perish;
Grant a grander Destiny!
’Tis easy to ruin, you could fashion.

Thus grant me consent to cherish, & adore me too
Not with design
To elevate, as Affection's cursed rebels do
When complaining Versifiers whine,
Fame to their beauty, from their tearful eyne.

Grief is a pool and shows not distinct
One's beauty’s rayes;
Delights are clear streams, your eyes seem
Gloomy in more sorrowful songs,
Within happy verses they shine luminous with praise.

Which shall not allude to express you fair
Wounds, blazes, and arrows,
Gales in your forehead, snares in your hair,
Corrupting all your attributes,
Either to trick, or afflict trapped hearts.

I will render your vision like dawn stars appear,
Like mild, and fair;
Your brow as glass smooth, and transparent,
Whereas your tousled hair
Shall stream like a tranquil Area of the Atmosphere.

Wealthy Nature's treasury (which is the Bard's Treasure)
I will expend, to embellish
Your charms, if your Source of Delight
Through equal gratitude
Thou but open, so we each other favor.

Delving into the Verse's Themes

This piece explores the dynamics of passion and praise, where the speaker speaks to a lady who desires his love. Instead, he proposes a shared agreement of literary praise for private delights. This language is refined, mixing courtly norms with direct expressions of yearning.

In the verses, the poet spurns common themes of unreturned affection, like sadness and weeping, arguing they dim true grace. The speaker chooses happiness and acclaim to highlight the maiden's features, vowing to render her eyes as radiant suns and her hair as drifting breeze. This approach emphasizes a realistic yet skillful view on relationships.

Significant Aspects of the Piece

• Shared Arrangement: The work focuses on a proposal of tribute in return for enjoyment, emphasizing balance between the parties.
• Dismissal of Conventional Ideas: The speaker condemns usual poetic devices like sorrow and similes of suffering, preferring optimistic depictions.
• Poetic Skill: The use of mixed line measures and cadence demonstrates the author's mastery in verse, creating a fluid and engaging read.

Abundant The natural world's treasury (which is the Bard's Riches)
I’l expend, to adorn
One's beauties, if your Wellspring of Pleasure
Through equall thankfulness
Thou but release, so we each other grace.

This stanza encapsulates the central bargain, as the author pledges to employ his artistic gifts to honor the woman, in exchange for her openness. This wording blends pious undertones with earthly desires, providing profundity to the poem's theme.