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Now you have bestowed me permission to love,
What shall you do?
Am I to your joy, or ardor move,
As I start to court;
Will you distress, or mock, or cherish me too?

Every minor grace can reject, and I
Despite your dislike
Without your consent can see, and succumb;
Bestow a loftier Lot!
It's simple to demolish, you could form.

Then give me leave to love, & love me too
Not with intent
To raise, as Love's accursed defiers behave
As puling Poets lament,
Acclaim to their grace, from their blubber’d eyes.

Sadness is a pond and reflects not distinct
One's beauty’s lights;
Delights are clear streames, your gaze look
Sullen in gloomier verses,
Through joyful lines they shine luminous with praise.

Which may not allude to portray you fayr
Wounds, flames, and shafts,
Tempests in your forehead, nets in your hair,
Suborning all your parts,
Or else to deceive, or torture ensnared affections.

I shall cause your vision like dawn orbs appear,
Like gentle, and fayr;
Your countenance as Crystall polished, and transparent,
And your tousled hair
May stream like a tranquil Region of the Ayr.

Abundant Nature’s store (which is the Bard's Riches)
I will spend, to dress
One's graces, if your Mine of Delight
In equal thankfulness
Thou but release, so we mutually grace.

Exploring the Poem's Themes

The composition delves the interplay of passion and acclaim, where the speaker engages with a lady who requests his devotion. Rather, he offers a mutual agreement of artistic tribute for personal delights. This language is refined, combining refined traditions with frank expressions of desire.

Within the verses, the writer spurns usual motifs of unreturned love, including sorrow and lamentation, arguing they cloud true charm. The speaker favors happiness and admiration to showcase the lady's qualities, vowing to depict her vision as radiant suns and her tresses as streaming breeze. This technique highlights a practical yet artful outlook on relationships.

Important Elements of the Piece

• Reciprocal Agreement: The verse centers on a suggestion of tribute in trade for delight, stressing parity between the individuals.
• Dismissal of Traditional Motifs: The narrator criticizes common poetic techniques like sorrow and metaphors of anguish, favoring positive imagery.
• Artistic Skill: The employment of diverse verse lengths and flow displays the writer's proficiency in composition, forming a fluid and engaging experience.

Abundant Nature's hoard (which is the Bard's Riches)
I shall spend, to dress
Thy graces, if your Source of Joy
With equal appreciation
You but unlock, so we each other bless.

This stanza encapsulates the core bargain, as the poet promises to use his creative abilities to celebrate the maiden, in exchange for her receptiveness. The phraseology blends spiritual undertones with worldly yearnings, providing profundity to the verse's message.