Song It's a song by Suckling and it has a very quick rhyme and it is written in three stanzas .
The 1st stanza:
Why so pale and wan fond lover?
Prithee why so pale?
Will, when looking well can't move her,
Looking ill prevail?
Prithee why so pale?
He is asking the lover why he's looking so pale and why he is sick and he's answering the question ….. is it because when you were healthy, you did not move your beloved, so you have to look ill in order to impress her. Of course because it's a song, we have repetition for example of /why so/ and using refrain. He is asking directly and there is answering, so this is a dramatic situation.
The 2nd stanza:
Why so dull and mute young sinner?
Prithee why so mute?
Will, when speaking well can't win her,
Saying nothing do't?
Prithee why so mute?
Why do you look gloomy and silent? They consider love to be a sin and that's why he called him young sinner. Of course this is not the true kind of love because at that time they were courtiers and they looked at love playfully.
Is it because when you were speaking ….. you couldn't win her love and that's why you're keeping silent now. Maybe this will win her and make her love you.
The 3rd stanza:
Quit, quit for shame, this will not move,
This cannot take her;
If of herself she will not love,
Nothing can make her;
The devil take her.
He says stop doing this because it's a shame for you and stop being silent and trying to look sick. This is shameful and this will not affect her. These ways will not win her if she doesn't love you from her own self and you don't have to pretend to be sick or pretend to be silent. If she doesn't love you, nothing will make her love you.
If she doesn't love you, let the devil take her and let her go to hell. The last line shows the playfulness of Suckling. This is the schoolboy's obscenity and impoliteness. He is not showing him the way to win her love. If she doesn't love you just leave her and let her go to hell.
Of course this song is typical of the cavaliers it shows that frivolous and schoolboy's obscenity. He's not talking about serious love. Verse here is very light, very racy, very quick saving that if she doesn't do this leave her.
You can see the swinging movement ….. why are you doing so and so ….. is it because……. question and answer going and coming keeping moving but at the same time coming back to the same idea
You will see in this song that he is playful and he's showing his country house kind of poetry very playful and very entertaining. He is addressing lovers. He imagines that there is a lover who is pale or sick of love. We have a kind of dramatic approach here and that's why we have a direct question. Remember the kind of argumentative style questions and answers asking something and waiting for answers.
He is addressing this lover asking why do you look so pale and try to find an answer for the sickness or that paleness of this lover.
Is it because when you look strong and healthy you cannot influence your lover, so you have to look so pale to have an influence on her. It's a song about love and we have the same idea repeated in different stanzas he repeats it even the same expression.