How we cite our quotes: (Line)
Quote #4
At thy return my blushing was not small,
My rambling brat (in print) should mother call. (7-8)
The speaker’s written work—her poems—are pithy or concise. Sounds like the early drafts were, well, long-winded. What else would “rambling” mean anyway?
Quote #5
I washed thy face, but more defects I saw,
And rubbing off a spot, still made a flaw (13-14)
The work of revising one’s written work is here compared to washing off a child’s face, and rubbing off a spot. Perhaps this is the wrong way to look at it—clearly, washing and rubbing are just an attempt to touch things up. Maybe she should try re-writing instead (yeah we know that’s no fun).
Quote #6
I stretcht thy joints to make thee even feet,
Yet still thou run'st more hobbling than is meet. (15-16)
The speaker claims she can’t make her poems have “even feet,” and yet she is able to rhyme “feet” and “meet,” which suggests that her poetic “feet” are indeed “meet” (appropriate, sufficient, good). In other words, she’s not as bad as she thinks.