Literal Comprehension: “To His Coy Mistress” is a beautiful love poem composed by Andrew Marvell, an English poet, tries to woo his coy mistress to participate in the lust game in the prime of youth and beauty. The poet has a shy beloved and she doesn’t become ready to fulfill the poet’s desire. So, the poet says that if they had enough time, he would spend hundreds of years to admire her youth and beauty. He would admire her eyes and forehead for one hundred years. He would gaze and praise her each breast for two hundred years each. He would spend 30,000 years to see and admire the rest parts of her body and finally, he would touch her heart. He says that she is so much praise-worthy.
But the poet finds the winged chagrins not always hurrying near. Her youth and beauty don’t always remain the same. One day she will reach her beauty marble grave. There she’ll not hear the poet’s love song. Worms will try to destroy her long preserved virginity. No one will embrace her shyness and participate to enjoy like two birds of love. He also suggests her to swallow all the sweetness of youth being both of them a ball. He also tells her the bitter reality that the sun also sets after rising.
Interpretation: The poet may be trying to show the importance of romantic love at the prime of youth and beauty. He says that life is brief and death is inevitable. Do, he suggests us to fulfill our desire and enjoy life fully when we are young. He says that if we miss the enjoyment of youth, our life will be absurd after death. That is why he also tells her beloved to enjoy life fully to surpass time and death.
Critical thinking: This poem is beautiful, romantic and appealing. The poet persuades his beloved to involve in the romantic and productive love game. However, some ideas of the poet are questionable. Should we be so lusty? Why doesn’t the beloved refuse the sex appeal? Is love limited only in youth? So, I am fully convinced.
Assimilation: This poem impressed me a lot. After reading this poem, I came to realize that time is limited and we are headings towards the grave. Also, I understood that I have also determined to enjoy much in the prime of youth.
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