Text of the Poem

A sweet disorder in the dress
Kindles in clothes a wantonness;
A lawn about the shoulders thrown
Into a fine distraction;
An erring lace, which here and there
Enthrals the crimson stomacher;
A cuff neglectful, and thereby
Ribands to flow confusedly;
A winning wave, deserving note,
In the tempestuous petticoat;
A careless shoe-string, in whose tie
I see a wild civility:
Do more bewitch me, than when art
Is too precise in every part.

Footnotes

  1. “Wild civility” is an oxymoron that some readers might be confused by. However, if one thinks about the subject of a poem, which is a proper genteel lady who shows signs of doing something perceived as wild, then "wild civility” makes sense.

    — Allegra Keys, Owl Eyes Editor

  2. This is an archaic spelling of "ribbons.”

    — Allegra Keys, Owl Eyes Editor

  3. This is a play on words and a metaphor suggesting that the disorderly clothes are sexy enough to start a fire.

    — Allegra Keys, Owl Eyes Editor

  4. The first line in this poem indicates a light nature and tone. The speaker likes it when a woman has messed up clothing that suggests she just returned from something sexual. The sight of a lady in the 17th-century showing up disordly from a sexual encounter would have been just as scandalous as the speaker enjoying the sight.

    — Allegra Keys, Owl Eyes Editor