Her very frowns are fairer far Than smiles of other maidens are.

The couplet is a conventional but pointed lover’s hyperbole: the beloved’s beauty and charm are so absolute that even her displeasure outshines other women’s most inviting expressions. By praising “frowns” over “smiles,” the speaker signals devotion that is not contingent on being favored; the beloved’s power is aesthetic and emotional, not merely social. The contrast also hints at the romantic idealization common in early nineteenth-century lyric verse, where the beloved becomes a standard against which all others are diminished. The lines’ balanced phrasing and internal comparison sharpen the sense of exclusivity—one woman’s least gracious look surpasses everyone else’s best.