Explaining To His Coy Mistress by Andrew Marvell

Andrew Marvell was a seventeenth century poet, and although we do not know everything about his life, it is believed that he wrote his poem "To His Coy Mistress" in the early 1650's. Marvell died in August of 1678, and three years later his book of Miscellaneous Poems was published, in 1681 (luminarium.org).

"To His Coy Mistress" is 46 lines long, consisting of 23 couplets, one after the other. The rhyme scheme is simple: AA, BB, CC, etc. Each line is eight syllables, with the accents on the even ones; (example, read the first line: "Had we but world enough and time"...) The poem is divided into three main parts: the first, and longest, is 20 lines, and describes the perfect ideal; the next 12 lines explain the problem, and the last 14 provide us with an alternative solution.

The poem is directed to a shy, or modest girl. The author has made romantic advances toward this girl, but she has resisted. The author understands - or thinks he understands - the girl's point of view, and he is trying to reason with her.

He begins by saying that under other circumstances, he may not mind waiting. He could make a game of winning her love. If she asked him to first convert every Jew in the world, the author would do it; provided he had time. The author claims that his love could grow "vaster than empires, and more slow." He says he could spend thousands of years praising the girl's beauty, and that she deserves no less.

But, of course, all of this is impossible. In the following twelve lines, the poet makes clear the fact that no one will live forever, and he dislikes the thought that his beloved will remain pure until death; in which case, the poet says, her virginity is being saved for worms and maggots.

In the final part of the poem, Marvell suggests that although they cannot live long enough to do things properly, they should enjoy themselves while they still can:

"Now let us sport us while we may,

And now, like amorous birds of prey,

Rather at once our time devour

Than languish in his slow-chapt power."