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Given that you freely given me permission to love,
What will you act?
Will I your joy, or passion stir,
When I commence woo;
Shall you trouble, or scorn, or love me too?

All trivial grace can reject, and I
Spight of your hate
Absent your leave can see, and succumb;
Grant a nobler Fate!
It is effortless to destroy, you could form.

Thus give me leave to cherish, & love me too
Not with design
To raise, as Affection's cursed insurgents do
While whining Poets whine,
Acclaim to their charm, from their blubber’d eyne.

Grief is a pond and shows not distinct
Thy grace's rayes;
Delights are untainted currents, your gaze seem
Gloomy in sadder verses,
Through happy lines they gleam brilliant with prayse.

What will not allude to describe you fair
Injuries, blazes, and shafts,
Storms in your countenance, snares in your hayr,
Corrupting all your parts,
Or else to deceive, or torment ensnared souls.

I will render your vision like sunrise orbs seem,
Like soft, and lovely;
Thy countenance as crystal even, and transparent,
And your unkempt hayr
Will flow like a calm Region of the Air.

Abundant Nature’s treasury (which is the Bard's Wealth)
I will spend, to adorn
Your charms, if your Mine of Joy
Through equall appreciation
You but release, so we each other favor.

Exploring the Work's Ideas

This work explores the relationship of love and praise, as the speaker engages with a woman who requests his devotion. Conversely, he offers a reciprocal agreement of artistic praise for private delights. This wording is refined, blending polished traditions with frank expressions of desire.

Within the stanzas, the author rejects usual motifs of unreturned affection, including grief and lamentation, arguing they dim true charm. The speaker prefers joy and acclaim to showcase the lady's qualities, vowing to render her eyes as shining orbs and her tresses as drifting air. The approach underscores a pragmatic yet artful view on connections.

Important Elements of the Work

• Mutual Arrangement: The poem focuses on a proposal of praise in trade for enjoyment, highlighting equality between the persons.
• Dismissal of Standard Ideas: The speaker criticizes typical literary devices like grief and imagery of anguish, favoring optimistic descriptions.
• Artistic Skill: The employment of mixed verse patterns and cadence displays the writer's proficiency in verse, forming a fluid and engaging text.

Rich Nature’s store (which is the Writer's Wealth)
I shall spend, to adorn
One's charms, if your Mine of Delight
In equal thankfulness
One but release, so we each other grace.

The verse captures the core bargain, as the writer promises to utilize his artistic talents to honor the maiden, in return for her receptiveness. This phraseology mixes spiritual overtones with worldly longings, adding complexity to the verse's meaning.