To His Coy Mistress By Robert Herrick

One doesn’t regret their choices until it is too late; time goes by quickly, and by the time one realizes something, it is too late. Time is constantly argued about by many: should one focus on the present time and deal with whatever life throws at one, or should one try to fulfill their desires before time comes to an end? In the poem, “To His Coy Mistress” by poet Andrew Marvell, he emphasizes how women are better off surrendering their virginities to their lovers before time runs out. On the other hand, in the poem “To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time” by poet Robert Herrick, the poet encourages young girls to enjoy life while they still can, as they are young and in the prime time of their lives. Through the examination of the two poems,

In the beginning, the speaker warns the woman that “Had we but world enough, and time,/ This coyness, lady, were no crime” (Marvell lines 1-2). The speaker lets the woman know that time is precious, and if it isn’t spent wisely, then time will fly by where she couldn’t enjoy any moment. Throughout the poem, the speaker compliments the woman as an attempt to get her to have sex with him: “Thine eyes and on thy forehead gaze” (Marvell 15-16). The speaker continues on to try to convince her to relinquish her virginity, as he believes that she “deserve this state” and the speaker will not “love at lower rate” (Marvell 20-21). By constantly asking her to have sex with him, he truly believes he is showing his love for her. In the second stanza, he warns her that if she does not have sex with him, then her beauty will no longer be found because time will pass by quickly: “Thy beauty shall no more be found” (Marvell 25). He continues on to warn that if she refuses to fulfill his desires, then she would “turn to dust,” and all of his lust will turn “into ashes” (Marvell 29-30). He emphasizes that time is running out and if she continues to refuse to succumb to what he wants, then it will be too late. Through the constant reminder that time is running low, the speaker pressures her

Firstly, looking at the title of the poem, the intended audiences are young, virgin women who have not made any steps closer towards marriage. The poet emphasizes how time goes by very quickly, and women should “Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,” because “Old Time is still a-flying” (Herrick 1-2). Herrick utilizes symbolism of the flowers to assert that the women should take action before their time is up: “And this same flower that smiles today,/ Tomorrow will be dying (Herrick 3-4). By telling the young women that the flower may smile today and will be dying tomorrow, the poet foreshadows that their virginities will soon be taken. The speakers intentions are not to convince the young women to surrender their virginities blindly, but rather, with dignity. He encourages them to get married and lose their virginities while they still can because “The glorious lamp of heaven . . . he’s a-getting . . . nearer he’s to setting” (Herrick 5-8). The speaker lets the young women know that death is approaching quickly and their current “age is best which is the first” (Herrick 9). By informing the young women that now is the best time to get married and relinquish their virginities, the speaker asserts how being at their current age will be the only time where they