To His Coy Mistress Analysis

Had we but World enough, and Time,
This coyness Lady were no crime.
We would sit down, and think which way
To walk, and pass our long Loves Day.
Thou by the Indian Ganges side.
Should'st Rubies find: I by the Tide
Of Humber would complain. I would
Love you ten years before the Flood:
And you should if you please refuse
Till the Conversion of the Jews.
My vegetable Love should grow
Vaster then Empires, and more slow.
An hundred years should go to praise
Thine Eyes, and on thy Forehead Gaze.
Two hundred to adore each Breast.
But thirty thousand to the rest.
An Age at least to every part,
And the last Age should show your Heart.
For Lady you deserve this State;
Nor would I love at lower rate.
But at my back I alwaies hear
Times winged Charriot hurrying near:
And yonder all before us lye
Desarts of vast Eternity.
Thy Beauty shall no more be found;
Nor, in thy marble Vault, shall sound
My ecchoing Song: then Worms shall try
That long preserv'd Virginity:
And your quaint Honour turn to durst;
And into ashes all my Lust.
The Grave's a fine and private place,
But none I think do there embrace.
Now therefore, while the youthful hew
Sits on thy skin like morning glew,
And while thy willing Soul transpires
At every pore with instant Fires,
Now let us sport us while we may;
And now, like am'rous birds of prey,
Rather at once our Time devour,
Than languish in his slow-chapt pow'r.
Let us roll all our Strength, and all
Our sweetness, up into one Ball:
And tear our Pleasures with rough strife,
Thorough the Iron gates of Life.
Thus, though we cannot make our Sun
Stand still, yet we will make him run.

.: :.

Ironically the two words I needed to write to post this were "fill" and "her." "Fill her"- just thought that the coincidence of this was hilarious due to the nature of the poem. Anyway, I agree with most of the posts but would like to stress the ending as well. "Thus, though we cannot make our sun stand still, yet we can make him run." This means that through love, they can make life last. That's my two pence/cents.

| Posted on 2008-11-03 | by a guest

.: :.

the speakers probably in a bar and is just trying to pick this girl up because shes probably had a few to many and hes alot like the 40 year old virgin except much older so hes pretty desperate right about now to sleep with her but I'm sure he still got slapped.

| Posted on 2008-10-17 | by a guest

.: :.

It depicts human psychology over love. perhaps,love is most blessed element for all earthly things. But it is a concrete true we all die and our body, our desire and everything except soul so why not we may get earthly pleasures. For getting supreme quality of poet as well as a lovers is trying to convince by many ways but differently. Poets urges are classic different than others lovers.Most significant aspect is his love desires are proven in his verses.
world is still running for love, that love attacks him mostly.But none can escape from this true and constant desire.He shows how to pursuit lover.It is an excellent poetry of metaphysical poetry.

| Posted on 2008-09-20 | by a guest

.: :.

To his coy mistress is abwt a man wh ois trying to woo his lady and is trying to say that there is not enough time to be coy. If she doesnt hurry then in about 10 years time nobody wil want her and nobody will be interested so she better get a move on whilst she can.

| Posted on 2008-07-07 | by a guest

.: :.

Marvell is of course not cynical and had tremendous zest for life. as a humanist and intellectuall poet he never disapproved of worldly and aesthetic pleasures. life is short and relationships are important. This poem shows the kind of love the man nurtures for his beloved which wants to survive beyond time and death. Time is running out, and he wants to love his beloved as much as he can. this is the voice of a love stricken man trying to outrun the limits of time.

| Posted on 2008-06-16 | by a guest

.: :.

you all wrote pretty much the exact same thing. good job wasting time!

| Posted on 2008-06-11 | by a guest

.: To his coy Mistress :.

The man is trying to convince the woman to make love to him, because life is too short. And says that her virginity nor her beauty will last forever so she needs to make use of it while she is alive.

| Posted on 2008-05-03 | by a guest

.: Interpretation :.

The writer is mocking the lady, not trying to woo her. This was written in the time of 'courtly love' where a woman would play with a man's emotions, making him come up with more and more extravagant ways of proving his love for her. The writer is mocking this lady, and courtly love on the basis that there's not enogh time. He's saying sure, if we had forever, it would be cool for you to play your little games(stanza 1) But essentially, in the rest of the poem he's saying that in reality you don't have forever; you might as well live and enjoy today. If he was merely trying to flatter her, he wouldn't be telling her about how you're alone in your grave after you die (stanza 2), and worms will take your virginity.

| Posted on 2008-04-07 | by a guest

.: :.

The writer is mocking the lady, not trying to woo her. This was written in the time of 'courtly love' where a woman would play with a man's emotions, making him come up with more and more extravagant ways of proving his love for her. The writer is mocking this lady, and courtly love on the basis that there's not enogh time. He's saying sure, if we had forever, it would be cool for you to play your little games(stanza 1) But essentially, in the rest of the poem he's saying that in reality you don't have forever; you might as well live and enjoy today. If he was merely trying to flatter her, he wouldn't be telling her about how you're alone in your grave after you die (stanza 2), and worms will take your virginity.

| Posted on 2008-04-07 | by a guest

.: To his Coy Mistress :.

The poem “To His Coy Mistress” is about a man who is in a rush to have sexual intercourse with his mistress. He is just enticed by her beauty and wants to enjoy her beauty before the time is over.

| Posted on 2008-04-05 | by a guest

.: love :.

this is a beautiful poem that is written in a way to mock at the elizabethan era who played with words. in this poem the poet cautions his mistress of her shyness and makes her understand of limited time they hanve on this earth. he says if she did not give in all her virginity would be broken by worms once she dies and her life on earth is not permanent. the beauty is not permanent so he urges her to give in so that they can make best use of thier life

| Posted on 2008-01-22 | by a guest

.: afta :.

This poem shows an exestential view of life. The man knows and has come to accept that death happens to everyone and fate is laid out for you. He however knows while he is alive he will love this women. He states he will love her forever but in reality he wont be on this earth forever

| Posted on 2008-01-08 | by a guest

.: inerpretantion :.

He thinks that its a better idea that they get together now while they still can, rather than wait around and chance that it never happens. He claims that if he had the opportunity he would devote everything he had to her for eternity, but since life is finite they should just get down to buisness. its a crude reality and he isnt exactly delicate when he tells her shes going to turn into worms however, his approach is kinda convincing since it makes more sense than a sugar coating the reality by saying he'll be with her forever if she'll give herself up when he doesnt have the capacity to anyway.

| Posted on 2007-11-06 | by a guest

.: :.

this poem is not about some sleaze ball trying to "seize the day" and get laid. its about eternal life. Not in a Christian sense but in a more mythological sense. The first stanza talks about an idealistic period of time in which he would love her forever. The second stanza then refers to real time or actual time, saying that in reality time keeps moving and we are all going to die soon. Most people seem to think that the third stanza is trying to say that since you are going to die ugly and old, you might as well sleep with me while you're attractive. That is a very superficial reading of this poem. It works but it's not that great and will certainly not get you a good grade for analysis. A better reading of it is that this third stanza is about keeping passion alive. It is not that Marvell is saying we should be lovers because you might as well while you are hot, it's that he is saying we should be lovers because through our love we can live forever. Making the sun run means that our passion will live on and on.

| Posted on 2007-11-06 | by a guest

.: to his coy mistress :.

Marvell is trying to persuade his mistress to put out, but she is beign shy. Marvell's next approach is to input fear in her of death. He says that he will love her for eternity, but eternity does not exist, and that everyone will die so why wait if in the grave her virginity will turn into ashes and his lust into dust

| Posted on 2007-10-01 | by a guest

.: my opinion :.

This poem is about how a man wants to have his 'way' with her. It is about how if he had all the time in the world he would woo her forever. He also says that he wouuld love her for eternity "I would love you ten years before the flood, till the conversion of the Jews". And if they did have all the time in the world her shyness would not be a problem. He flatters her by coparing her to an exotic river when he is just a river in England.
He says that if they did have all the time in the world he would spend 100 years praising her, 400 years to adore her beauty and spend 30,000 years with her.
He says that she deserves all this attention and he would not love her any less.
He goes on to say that they do not have all the time in the world and that she is saving her virginity too long and that if she dosnt give out the only things to get inside her will be worms.
He then says that whilst there life is still in the 'morning' of there life they should 'sport' while they still can.

| Posted on 2007-02-21 | by a guest

.: nice :.

it a poem about the first love? and hiow the men is forgetign about his wife and his missterss is the first love, and how he want it back . The fisr love becaome his misstress.Marvell is saying that if he had time to do all of the things he wanted to do he would.

There is like a flaw, a enemy, this stands in the way of him and his mistress. He also say that no

matter how happy things are and how peaceful things are you will die sooner or later. He says

that the grave is very lonely and no one ever embraces it.

| Posted on 2005-06-05 | by Approved Guest