How we cite our quotes: (Line)
Quote #1
He is stark mad, whoever says,
That he hath been in love an hour,
Yet not that love so soon decays,
But that it can ten in less space devour; (1-4)
You want to talk about love? Well, you better recognize just how powerful a force it really is, bub. The speaker starts off with a kind of warning here: love can "devour" ten people in the space of an hour. It's not clear how he came to that conclusion, but the message is that love can cause serious damage.
Quote #2
Ah, what a trifle is a heart,
If once into love's hands it come! (9-10)
In this personification, love is an uncaring, all-powerful force that views human hearts as if they were just dirt under its fingernails. We're totally at love's mercy here.
Quote #3
[…] but us love draws;
He swallows us and never chaws;
By him, as by chain'd shot, whole ranks do die;
He is the tyrant pike, our hearts the fry. (13-16)
Devastating ammunition, killer fish—the speaker breaks out some violent metaphors to explain how love draws us into its influence…and then totally destroys us. It kind of makes you want to stay home next Valentine's Day—with the doors locked.