How we cite our quotes: (Line)
Quote #1
For my mean Pen are too superior things; (3)
The speaker starts out right at the beginning with a switcheroo. She makes it seem like she's starting an epic poem, but then she backs off. Apparently she's not going to write about "Wars…and…Kings" (1). All that is just too grand for her lowly, insignificant ("mean") writing. This starts us out on a pretty traditional note. Basically the message she seems to be giving is, "I'm not good enough to tackle 'superior' subjects." Well, we'll just see what happens to that…
Quote #2
Let Poets and Historians set these forth. (5)
She'll leave the big topics like politics and war to "Poets and Historians." (Well, actually, she won't—the book that this poem opens is full of that kind of stuff, but never mind.) What she's saying here is essentially, "Don't expect too much, I know my place." With a lead-in like that, you pretty much know there's a mighty big "but…" coming. Sure enough, with the beginning of the next stanza (7) she shows us that her ideas about literature and writing are way more complicated than this.
Quote #3
Great Bartas' sugar'd lines do but read o'er (8)
We just love this moment. It's such a great description of the joy she takes in writing and literature. Her favorite poems are just like candy to our speaker. It's clear, from this moment on, that we're dealing with a woman who loves and respects the craft of writing, and wants to do it as well as anyone (even if she worries she might not be able to).