To a Lady That Desired I Would Love Her by Thomas Carew

Context

• To a Lady That Desired I Would Love Her by Thomas Carew was written in the early 17th century, reflecting the Cavalier poets' focus on love, courtship, and wit.
• The poem is part of the broader tradition of courtly love poetry, where the poet addresses a lady of higher status, often blending flattery with subtle argumentation.
• Carew, a prominent figure in the court of King Charles I, was known for his refined, graceful, and often playful verse, which aligns with the themes of this poem.

Structure and Form

Form, Meter, and Rhyme

• The poem is composed of one continuous stanza, which serves to emphasize the straightforward nature of the speaker's response.
• The rhyme scheme follows an ABAB pattern, which is common in lyric poetry and helps to maintain a musical quality.
• The poem is written in iambic tetrameter, with each line containing four iambic feet, contributing to the poem's measured and rhythmic flow.

Speaker and Setting

• The speaker is a man responding to a lady who has expressed a desire for his love. He presents his case against loving her, citing various reasons that blend logic with wit.
• The setting is abstract, focusing on the intellectual and emotional exchange between the speaker and the lady, rather than a specific physical location.

Poetic Devices

Irony

• The poem is rich in irony, as the speaker lists reasons why he cannot love the lady, even though his tone suggests that he might indeed feel affection for her.
• This irony is evident in lines like "Would you the beauty of your youth / Return to its perfection?" where the speaker questions the permanence of beauty and love.

Allusion

• The poem alludes to the classical tradition of courtly love, where the lover often addresses the unattainable lady with admiration mixed with hesitation.
• The speaker's references to time and the transience of beauty echo themes found in many Renaissance love poems.

Rhetorical Questions

• Carew uses rhetorical questions to challenge the lady's request, making her consider the fleeting nature of beauty and love.
• These questions also serve to engage the reader in the intellectual debate, emphasizing the poem's reflective tone.

Conceit

• Carew employs a conceit, or extended metaphor, comparing the lady's beauty and the speaker's love to transient and fleeting phenomena, such as the morning dew or a flower's bloom.
• This conceit underscores the theme of impermanence, central to the speaker's argument.

Key Themes

Transience of Beauty and Love

• The poem addresses the fleeting nature of beauty and love, suggesting that they are subject to the ravages of time and therefore not worth pursuing too seriously.

"Your beauty would but one day last; / Time's wings are swift, and soon it's past."

• This theme reflects the Cavalier poets' preoccupation with carpe diem, or the idea of seizing the day, while also acknowledging the inevitability of change.

Wit and Argumentation

• The poem showcases the speaker's wit as he crafts an argument against loving the lady, using logic and rhetorical devices to present his case.
• The speaker's playful yet serious tone highlights the intellectual nature of the courtly love tradition, where reason often clashes with emotion.

Impermanence and Mortality

• The speaker's reflections on the impermanence of beauty and the inevitability of death serve as a reminder of mortality, a theme that runs through much of 17th-century poetry.
  • The poem suggests that since beauty and life are fleeting, it is futile to invest too deeply in them.

Similar Poems

• "To His Coy Mistress" by Andrew Marvell: This poem also explores the theme of time's impact on beauty and love, urging the mistress to seize the moment before it's too late.
• "The Good Morrow" by John Donne: This poem, while more optimistic, similarly examines the themes of love, time, and the unity between lovers, using complex imagery and conceit.
• "The Apparition" by John Donne: Like Carew's poem, this one employs irony and a bitter tone to address themes of unrequited love and the speaker's frustration.

Line by Line Analysis

Stanza 1

Now you have freely given me leave to love, What will you do? Shall I your mirth, or passion move, When I begin to woo; Will you torment, or scorn, or love me too?

"Now you have freely given me leave to love, / What will you do?"

• The speaker begins by acknowledging that the lady has permitted him to love her, setting the stage for his courtship.
• He then questions her potential reaction, creating an air of uncertainty about how she will respond now that he has this permission.

"Shall I your mirth, or passion move, / When I begin to woo;"

• The speaker wonders if his attempts at wooing will evoke "mirth" (amusement) or "passion" (strong emotions).
• This line explores the range of possible reactions she might have, from mocking him to reciprocating his feelings.

"Will you torment, or scorn, or love me too?"

• The speaker lists possible outcomes: torment, scorn, or reciprocal love.
• The line captures the risks and uncertainties of love, where the outcome is unpredictable and could range from suffering to mutual affection.

Stanza 2

Each petty beauty can disdain, and I Spite of your hate Without your leave can see, and die; Dispense a nobler fate! 'Tis easy to destroy, you may create.

"Each petty beauty can disdain, and I / Spite of your hate"

• The speaker notes that even "petty" beauties—those of lesser charm—are capable of disdain, indicating that rejection is a common occurrence.
• He asserts that despite the lady's potential hatred, he remains undeterred in his admiration of her.

"Without your leave can see, and die; / Dispense a nobler fate!"

• The speaker suggests that he can continue to admire her and suffer the consequences ("see, and die") even without her permission.
• He challenges her to offer him a "nobler fate", implying that she has the power to either elevate or crush his feelings.

"'Tis easy to destroy, you may create."

• The speaker acknowledges that it is easy for the lady to reject or "destroy" his hopes.
• He contrasts this by highlighting her ability to "create" something beautiful, suggesting that she could choose to nurture love rather than dismiss it.

Stanza 3

Then give me leave to love, and love me too Not with design To raise, as Love's cursed rebels do, When puling poets whine, Fame to their beauty, from their blubbered eyne.

"Then give me leave to love, and love me too / Not with design"

• The speaker asks the lady not only to allow him to love her but to reciprocate his love genuinely.
• He cautions her against doing so "with design", meaning without ulterior motives or for manipulative purposes.

"To raise, as Love's cursed rebels do, / When puling poets whine,"

• The speaker criticises those who use love to gain fame or admiration, likening them to "Love's cursed rebels".
• He specifically targets "puling poets", who, in his view, exploit their suffering ("whine") to elevate the beauty of the women they desire.

"Fame to their beauty, from their blubbered eyne."

• The speaker scorns the idea of gaining "fame" for the lady's beauty through the exaggerated lamentations ("blubbered eyne") of poets.
• This line reinforces his disdain for superficial or insincere expressions of love, contrasting it with his earnest intentions.

Stanza 4

Grief is a puddle, and reflects not clear Your beauty's rays; Joys are pure streams, your eyes appear Sullen in sadder lays; In cheerful numbers they shine bright with praise,

"Grief is a puddle, and reflects not clear / Your beauty's rays;"

• The speaker compares grief to a "puddle", which distorts and dulls the reflection of the lady's beauty.
• He suggests that sorrow diminishes the true brilliance of her "rays," or her beauty.

"Joys are pure streams, your eyes appear / Sullen in sadder lays;"

• In contrast to grief, "joys" are likened to "pure streams" that reflect her beauty clearly and brightly.
• He notes that her eyes seem "sullen" or dim when they are depicted in sad songs ("sadder lays").

"In cheerful numbers they shine bright with praise,"

• The speaker concludes that her beauty is best appreciated in "cheerful numbers"—joyful, uplifting songs that fully capture her radiance.
• This line emphasizes the idea that her true beauty is most evident when celebrated with happiness rather than sorrow.

Stanza 5

Which shall not mention to express you fair, Wounds, flames, and darts, Storms in your brow, nets in your hair, Suborning all your parts, Or to betray, or torture captive hearts.

"Which shall not mention to express you fair, / Wounds, flames, and darts,"

• The speaker declares that he will avoid the typical poetic clichés—such as "wounds, flames, and darts"—that are often used to describe beauty.
• He rejects these violent and overwrought metaphors as inadequate to express her true fairness.

"Storms in your brow, nets in your hair, / Suborning all your parts,"

• The speaker continues to dismiss the exaggerated metaphors often used in love poetry, such as "storms in your brow" or "nets in your hair".
• He criticises these descriptions for "suborning" (corrupting) the natural beauty of the lady by attempting to manipulate or over-dramatise it.

"Or to betray, or torture captive hearts."

• The speaker concludes this stanza by rejecting the idea that the lady's beauty should be associated with betrayal or the torture of "captive hearts."
• He seeks to praise her in a manner that does not rely on the typical themes of suffering and heartbreak found in love poetry.

Stanza 6

I'll make your eyes like morning suns appear, As mild, and fair; Your brow as crystal smooth, and clear, And your disheveled hair Shall flow like a calm region of the air.

"I'll make your eyes like morning suns appear, / As mild, and fair;"

• The speaker promises to depict the lady's eyes as "morning suns", symbolising clarity, warmth, and gentleness.
• He emphasises that her beauty is "mild" and "fair", focusing on her serene and gentle qualities rather than passionate or tumultuous imagery.

"Your brow as crystal smooth, and clear,"

• The speaker compares her brow to a "crystal", highlighting its smoothness and clarity.
• This metaphor suggests purity and perfection, free from any imperfections or disturbances.

"And your disheveled hair / Shall flow like a calm region of the air."

• The speaker concludes by describing her "disheveled hair" as flowing gently, like a "calm region of the air".
• This final image evokes a sense of natural beauty and tranquillity, aligning with the overall tone of serene admiration throughout the stanza.