See, glimpse, and taste

Meaning

Seeing, glimpsing and tasting describe the attraction of the feminine figure explained in the epigram. Once she is uncovered and encountered, the viewer finds it difficult to do without her and values her above gold and goods. The sensory verbs thus express an experiential attachment stronger than material desire. The English preserves tasting beside seeing rather than flattening both into abstract understanding. The image is not an invitation to taste an unknown chemical: its immediate subject is the personified figure, whose plain speech, openness and steadfast posture are also interpreted. Concealment of love beneath a mask coexists with this inward attachment.