His desires have no measure;
Endlessly folly is his treasure;
What he promiseth he breaketh;
Trust not one word that he speaketh.
The narrator of this poem explores how love can be a cunning and distracting emotion. In this stanza, the narrator urges his or her readers not to trust love’s words, for his desires are unmeasurable and he rejoices in folly and trickery. In short, the narrator is characterizing love as an alluring ideal, but one that is purposefully misleading. The narrator wants his or her readers to be wary of love, for he is intentional in his distractions and hollow promises.
When night's blacke Mantle could most darknesse prove,
And sleepe (deaths Image) did my senses hyre,
From Knowledge of my selfe, then thoughts did move […]
In this excerpt, the narrator reflects upon the settings and moments that best allow her to examine her thoughts and her motives. She suggests that it is during the black of night, when she is fast asleep, that her thoughts are most clear. It is likely that these thoughts manifest themselves in dreams. These dreams, the narrator suggests, help her to examine her deepest consciousness, which then allow her to better understand the desires of her heart. Essentially, the narrator explains that it is during sleep that her head and thoughts are able to rest and her heart is able to lead.
In sleepe, a Chariot drawne by wing'd Desire,
I saw; where sate bright Venus Queene of Love,
And at her feete her Sonne, still adding
Fire To burning hearts […]
The narrator of this poem suggests that, during sleep, she is visited by Venus, who represents both lustful desire and love. The narrator believes that Venus visits her during sleep, with the intention of introducing the narrator to her son. Venus’ son is likely representative of Cupid. In this way, the narrator suggests that Venus and Cupid are working together to match her with a male lover—someone to spend the rest of her life with. She feels that, during sleep, she is most vulnerable and most connected to her heart, and is therefore in a prime state to accept Venus’ and Cupids’ advances.
He will triumph in your wailing;
And yet cause be of your failing:
These his virtues are, and slighter
Are his gifts, his favours lighter.
Here, the narrator juxtaposes Love’s dedication to and simultaneous cause of sorrows of the heart. She suggests that Love takes joy in sorrow, namely because—rather ironically—it is often the cause of it. In this way, Love is perhaps unintentionally cruel. Though Love has many gifts to offer, the narrator suggests that he rarely bestows any gifts upon her. Rather, she views Love as a cruel being, one who has purposefully abstained from blessing her and who takes great joy in her sorrows.
