"Bot for men sein, and soth it is,
That who that al of wisdom writ
It dulleth ofte a mannes wit
To him that schal it aldai rede,
For thilke cause, if that ye rede,
I wolde go the middel weie
And wryte a bok betwen the tweie,
Somwhat of lust, somewhat of lore."
In this famous quote, Gower explains his reason for writing the book. He recognizes that people often become bored and discouraged by reading words of wisdom all days, so he intends to write about both virtue and vice -- love and lust. He wants to acknowledge the existence of both in order to absolve himself of negligence in passing judgement on people.
"It hath and schal ben everemor
That love is maister wher he wile."
Cupid, Venus, and Genius all see the ignorance of Amans' pleas. Where they see a lack of love, they know that no love exists for love rules completely over its domain. If Amans does not see love in his life, then he has none to offer.
"He hath the sor which no man heleth,
The which is cleped lack of herte."
Venus recognizes the true nature of Gower's suffering: selfishness. He desires love but is unwilling to offer it of himself to other people. This is the sort of thing which cannot be cured except by a person's decision to change.
"The beauté faye upon her face
Non erthly thing it may desface."
Love is incorruptible. Described her as a personified being, love is considered desirable but unattainable. Mankind is corrupt and thus cannot touch love because it cannot be defiled or corrupted.
