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Those pretty wrongs that liberty commits,
When I am some-time absent from thy heart,
Thy beautie, and thy yeares full well befits,
For still temptation followes where thou art.
Gentle thou art, and therefore to be wonne,
Beautious thou art, therefore to be assailed,
And when a woman woos, what womans sonne,
Will sourely leave her till he have prevailed.
Aye me, but yet thou might my feare forebeare,
And chide thy beauty, and thy straying youth,
Who lead thee in their ryot even there
Where thou art forst to breake a two-fold truth:
Hers by thy beauty tempting her to thee,
Thine by thy beautie beeing false to me.
Commentary
Commentary
Address to a duplicitous young man
Address to a duplicitous young man
Changes made to the original text: line 7, 'woes' changed to 'woos'
In the first quatrain, the poet concedes that the young man's youth and beauty well suits the wrongs he commits since temptation follows him everywhere.
In the second quatrain, the poet concedes that he is gentle, therefore people will see that he is to be won, and that he is beautiful, therefore he will be assailed, and, when a woman woos him, what man will resist until he has 'prevailed'?
In the third quatrain, the poet nevertheless complains that the youth might restrain his beauty and straying youth by not going where he necessarily breaks two vows.
In the final couplet, the poet makes clear that the two vows broken are the woman's, whom he has seduced, and the poet's, whom he has betrayed.
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