A Courtier to His Beloved

O’ shall we pluck the peafowl’s gaudy plumes,
or wear the Eastern country’s rare perfumes?
Shall we go ride the camel caravan,
or boat the river Nile to the Sudan?

Shall we make company with princely sorts,
or dance in palisades of kingdom courts?
Shall we take friends from among Capuchins,
or gather water for the elephants?

Shall we adventure to the Orient,
or journey further through the Occident?
Shall our hearts make their flight like hummingbirds,
and shall we sing a song with strings-of-words?

Shall we dare loll with lions in the grass,
or mate a matured mare with a wild ass?