In the poem “The Scrutiny” the speaker muses about his love for his lady, explaining to her why he must seek out others first in order to fully love her.
In the first and second stanza, the speaker establishes that he has promised his undying love for his lady the night before. However, since it is now morning, the speaker exclaims that the promise he made is impossible. He is already bored after being in love with her for the entire night and therefore must go out and seek other women. He implies that this is the only way that his love for her would eventually return.
In the third and fourth stanza, the speaker further explains this train of thought and states that he must seek out a wide variety of completely different women in order to realize that his lady is indeed the one for him. In the last two lines, the speaker promises that once he has returned to her, his lust for other women will be completely satisfied.
To Lucasta, Going to the Wars
In the poem “To Lucasta, Going to the Wars”, the speaker says goodbye to his beloved Lucasta, before going off to fight in a war.
The first stanza reveals that Lucasta is against her lover going as the speaker pleads for her blessing and support, which she has yet to give. In the second stanza, the speaker admits that his mind will be on fighting and killing and no longer entirely on her once he has left. However, in the third stanza he emphasizes that his honour as a soldier and fighter is what makes him the man that loves Lucasta and that therefore this side of him must always have priority.
“To Lucasta, Her Reserved Looks”
In the poem “To Lucasta, Her Reserved Looks” the speaker reflects on his beloved’s power over him. He exclaims how her moods and favor can either lift him up or bring him down immediately, but that her indifference would be the worst to bear. The speaker then describes the feeling of helplessness about his inability to control what is happening to their love as its future is entirely in her hands. In the last line, the speaker reveals that he can see that she is both good and evil, implying that he thinks she toys with him deliberately.
