Poem Analysis: Ingrateful Beauty Threatened

Thomas Carew's poem, "Ingrateful Beauty Threatened" is interesting because it does not contain praise for the woman who is the object of speaker's affection. Instead he threatens her. He does not threaten with violence and harm though, he uses his position as a poet do undo the praise given to her. He claims that without his poetry she would "in the forgotten crowd/ Of common beauties, liv'd unknown" 3-4). Furthermore, he feels that the traits and virtues he described in his poetry are his alone to appreciate, saying "Thou  art my star, shIn'st in my skies;/ then dart not from thy borrow'd sphere" ("Ingrateful Beauty Threatened" 10-11). He, out of anger or jealousy, threatens to undo all this praise.