To his coy mistress
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.
Poet: Andrew Marwell.
Time: 1621 – 1678
Motif: Two lovers are sitting besides each other. And lover
is trying to make her beloved ready.
Elaboration: The poem might go under umbrella term
“Cultural Studies” also. Once in classroom discussion we deconstructed the
poem. The poet talks about the romantic love only whereas at the time, people
were facing lot many problems like poverty, starvation, Plague etc. but that is
not mentioned while poet talks about “death”. There might be some reasons also
like poet belongs to higher class of society. And most of his life is spent
having all the leisure and luxuries.
But then, a counterpoint is also equally considerable that
ultimately this is a small writing. How much can we expect from a small writeup
like this. And after all, that would be poet’s own choice NOT to mention the
stuff. And he is free to chose it.
