My mistress' eyes

"And in some perfumes is there more delight
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks."

In this poem, the speaker uses a lot of imagery. Granted, all of that imagery is very negative; all he talks about is how terrible his mistress is. He calls her out on practically every flaw that she could have. An example of the vivid imagery that this speaker utilized were, "If snow be white, why then her breasts be dun". Another, "If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head." Both of these lines, as well as the rest of the poem, allow the reader to get a clear image of what the woman looks like. Often, the speaker says more of what the woman is not. The harsh words leave the reader with the idea that the speaker absolutely loathes this woman. However, in the last two lines that notion is put to rest: "And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare/ As any she belied with false compare." This shows that even though she had all of these horrible traits, she still had some redeemable qualities and something that the speaker could not stay away from.