Author: Andrew Marvell
Written: 1650 C.E. - 1652 C.E.
Published by: Marvell's housekeeper several years after his death.
Poem in a nutshell: "Life's too short; let's bang."
This poem is, perhaps, the most elaborate pick-up line ever created:
Original Poetic Text Modern English Translation
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 love's day. Thou by the Indian Ganges' side Shouldst 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 than 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 always hear Time's wingèd chariot hurrying near; And yonder all before us lie Deserts of vast eternity. Thy beauty shall no more be found, Nor, in thy marble vault, shall sound My echoing song: then worms shall try That long preserved virginity, And your quaint honour turn to dust, 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 hue Sits on thy skin like morning dew, And while thy willing soul transpires At every pore with instant fires, 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. 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. | If land and time were no issue, this teasing, my Lady, would be of no consequence. We would sit down, relax, and think different ideas for dates. I would find you by the side of the Ganges' of India and romance you with the sweetest compliments. I would court you ten years before the Great Flood of Noah till the conversion of all Jews to Christianity. My love, like a vegetable garden, would grow to cover as much territory as the greatest empire—only more slowly. I would praise your eyes and forehead for one hundred years; two hundred years to admire each of your breasts; and, for thirty thousand years, I would worship and adore every other inch of your body. It would take at least one age for me to fully appreciate every feature that you possess, but, in the last age, I would look upon your heart. For, my Lady, you deserve nothing but the best and I would not have it any other way. But, alas, we do not have all the time in the world. I can hear Time's chariot quickly drawing near and it brings old age and death with it. Your beauty will soon fade and you will die. Then, as you lay buried, only the worms will have a go at your virginity. Your chaste honor will be reduced to dust, and with your death shall be the death of my lust. The grave is great and everything but there is no romance and intimacy there. So, let's have sex while we are still young, healthy, and attractive. We shouldn't be wasting time; we should be having raw, animalistic sex right now like those birds during the mating season. We can't make time stand still but we can make him run. Because you know what they say: “Time flies by when you're having fun.” |
Poem Summary:
"To His Coy Mistress" is divided into three stanzas. The narrator is an anonymous man speaking to an anonymous woman.
In the first stanza, the narrator tells the mistress—not a woman on the side but simply a lady—that if they had had more time and space, her "coyness" or teasing/shyness wouldn't be an issue. He goes on to describe how much he would compliment and admire her if time permitted. He would focus on every inch of her body until he got to the heart—(a metaphor for her sex organ and love.)
In the first stanza, the narrator tells the mistress—not a woman on the side but simply a lady—that if they had had more time and space, her "coyness" or teasing/shyness wouldn't be an issue. He goes on to describe how much he would compliment and admire her if time permitted. He would focus on every inch of her body until he got to the heart—(a metaphor for her sex organ and love.)
In the second stanza, the narrator basically tells her: “But we don't have time and we're about to get old and die.” He says that life is short but death is eternal and time is running out. In addition, the speaker warns the woman that when she’s buried in her coffin, the worms will take her virginity if she doesn’t have sex with him before they die. And, if she refuses to sleep with him, all his sexual desire will burn up into ashes for all time.
In the third stanza the speaker begs the lady to have sex with him while they are still young. He points out a pair of birds mating and suggest that that is how their lovemaking should be—raw, passionate, and primal.
In the final couplet, the narrator says that they can’t make time stop, but they can exchange places with it. According to him, whenever have sex, they pursue time, instead of the other way around. Thus, sex makes the day more pleasurable and it makes the day go by much faster.
Please read 'To His Coy Mistress' - a Critical Analysis
for a more in-depth summary. It is a very helpful tool for essays and such!Please feel free to add your own interpretations and reviews of this poem in the comments section!
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