The poem
Why didst thou promise such a beauteous day And make me travel forth without my cloak, To let base clouds o'ertake me in my way, Hiding thy brav'ry in their rotten smoke? 'Tis not enough that through the cloud thou break, To dry the rain on my storm-beaten face, For no man well of such a salve can speak That heals the wound and cures not the disgrace. Nor can thy shame give physic to my grief; Though thou repent, yet I have still the loss. Th' offender's sorrow lends but weak relief To him that bears the strong offence's cross. Ah, but those tears are pearl which thy love sheds, And they are rich, and ransom all ill deeds.
this poem of reporach. the poet is addressing someone who has committed a mean act, and then repented: but the repentance was not enouph to compensate for the meanness, and so he continuce to not feel betrayed, and to tell his friend that he seems less attractive than he was. thus much is clear, but, as far as the facts go, not much more Who is the frind and what has he done? Narrative always arouses curiosity, and the shadow of narrative that lies behind this poem can easily make us curious, but the poem does not answer these question perhaps it was intended for readers who already knew the facts.