Song Meaning
This lyric paints a picture of a desperate plea, a lover sending "Love" itself as a messenger to the celestial realm. The narrator implores Love to ascend to Fortune, a personified force, and to "sweetly, sweetly, sweetly" beg for a specific outcome. The immediate emotional tone is one of urgent supplication, a deep yearning for divine intervention in a personal romantic situation. The scene is set not on Earth, but in a mythological or allegorical space where Love can directly petition Fortune.
The central tension lies in the narrator's perceived powerlessness against fate, embodied by Fortune. They are "best beloved" to Calisto, suggesting a strong existing bond, yet they feel compelled to ask Love to intervene. This implies that their own affection, or perhaps their current circumstances, are insufficient to secure their desired outcome without external, higher influence. The repetition of "sweetly" emphasizes the desired method of persuasion – gentle, persistent, and charming, rather than forceful.
The most striking craft element is the direct address and personification of abstract concepts. "Love" is treated as an active agent, capable of flight and communication, while "Fortune" is a being to be importuned. This elevates the personal plea into a grand, almost epic, request. The narrator also uses a conditional structure, "Fortune for his sweet sake may chance befriend me," highlighting the uncertainty of the outcome and the reliance on Fortune's potential benevolence, influenced by the plea for "his sweet sake."
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