Question- Explain with reference to the context any four of the following passages.

Answer -

1.

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 loves day.
Thow by the Indian Ganges side
Should'st 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.

Reference: These lines have been taken from the metaphysical poem "To His Coy Mistress" written by the English author and politician Andrew Marvell. This poem considered one of Marvell's finest and is possibly the best recognized carpediem poem in English. It was published in 1681.

Context: Andrew Marvell in this poem employs several metaphysical conceits and other elements of the genre. First of all, the far-fetched comparisons between coyness and crime, vegetables, love and time and chariot, make it metaphysical poem.

Explanation: The speaker presents his "argument" to a listener, a young woman who holds back from reciprocating with her expression of love. The speaker says that coyness would be acceptable if time were in endless supply and if the world was big enough to accommodate all of his admiration for her. Assuming time continues forever, the poem describes the leisurely pace of life spent in courtship and praise of the beloved, silent mistress.

If they had enough time, she could have occupied herself by searching for rubies on the banks of the Indian river, the Ganga, the speaker continues the same argument here. He would imagine the condition if they had a limitless life. On the other hand, the speaker would sit on bank of river. Humber complaining to the river about his beloved not coming to him. Thus, they would pass the days.

In the next line, the speaker expresses how much he would love his beloved if they had enough time. He says he would love his mistress for ten "years before the flood". This alludes to the Great Flood in Christian History. Also, his mistress could refuse his proposal until the "conversation of the Jews". He would not mind as they will have enough time to make love.

Note :

(1) Andrew metaphysical poem. "To His Coy Mistress", the speaker addresses his lady-love who is shy and not reponsive to his all for love.
(2) Two rivers refers: India's Ganges, Humber-England's famous river, which flows past Marvell's hometown of Hull. These rivers refers metaphor for the luxurious leisurely consumption of time spent in praise.
(3) Conversation of the Jews, which refers to the day of Christian judgement prophesied for the end of times in the new testament's 'Book of Revelation'.

2.

My vegetable love should grow
Vaster than empires and more slow;
A hundred years should go to praise
Thine eyes, and theft for head 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.

Reference: As above.

Context: The poet begins by explaining, to his lady, how he would go about worshipping her if he had the time. He turns their love into for more than the poem can hold by using expressions such as "vegetable love"......

Explanation: In the next line, the speaker claims that his love is a "vegetable love". He compares his love with vegetable because his love grows slowly and originally without any external force. The speaker then suggests that if time permitted. His love would grow more than the width of an empire and its growth will be very gradual.

Then the speaker goes on to describe how he would have praised each and every part of his beloved is body if he had enough time to live. He says he would have consumed a hundred years in praising her eyes and gazing at her forehead.

In a continuation from the previous lines, the lover would take two hundred years to adore each of his ladylove's breasts. Also he would take thirty thousand years for praising rest of her body. The speaker claims that he would have consumed a lifetime to praise each part of her beloved's body. He will concentrate on her heart at the very end. The speaker claims that his beloved deserves to be praised like this. She is so beautiful and so charming that the lover couldn't love her any lesser if he got enough time in this life.

Note:

(1) The poet creates the metaphor of "vegetable love" that grows very slowly.
(2) The speaker fills out the hyperbole in line 7. Amount of years (two hundred years for each breast, thirty thousand years to the rest of the body).
(3) The speaker introduces a monetary metaphor: loving at a certain "rate".

3.

But at my back always hear
Time's winged chariot hurrying near;
And younder all before us lie
Beserts 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.

Reference: As above.

Context: This is the logical turn of the poem, exaggeration to somber images of the grave. The subject of death intrudes into this love poem, turning the mood away from the subjunctive to focus on the limitation of time. These lines emphasize the loss of beauty that happens to all people over time.

Explanation: Here begins the second section of the poem. In the first section, the speaker was talking about the possibilities of the extent of love that they could enjoy if they had a limitless life in this world. But alas! It is impossible. He says that he hears the sound of the time's wings as it flies closely behind their backs. Time waits for no one. It flies, leaving everything behind. He also says that the other world (after death) is waiting for us at a distance (yonder). It's like a vast desert of eternity lying before us. Thus, the lover reminds his beloved of life is brevity.

Here the speaker describes the situation after death. In our destined tomb, our beauty will slowly but surely turn into dust. So, the beloved's beauty will fade as soon as she dies, here "marble vault" refers to coffin. The speaker's song would not be heard from her coffin. Everything will vanish and turn to dust there.

After mentioning the beloved's beauty. The speaker speaks of her virginity that she has preserved for a long time the worms would destroy this long-preserved virginity there is coffin. Thus, we see, the speaker tries to make his lady realize that things like beauty and virginity are of no use after death.

Note:

(1) Here time is personified - "Time winged charriot”.
(2) "Hurrying" introduces anxiety and darkness into a formely light and extravagant, lyric poem.
(3) "Marble vault" is the resting place for the deceased mistress's corpse.
(4) "Desert of Eternity" - World will no longer contain the possibility of love between himself and his mistress.

4.

And your quaint honour turn to dust,
And into ashes all my lust
The grave's 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.

Reference: As above.

Context: The speaker's grotesque image of the worm penetrating the virgin corpse as it consumes the rotting flesh shocks. The point is that such preserved virtue mean nothing when stretched over the expanse of time.

Explanation: Not only her virginity, but also her honour will turn to dust. All that honour for which she has saved her virginity will be attacked by worms. At the same time, his lust for her beauty too will turn into ashes. Though the lover finds the grave a "fine and private place" as nobody can't see them there. It's not the place where lovers should "embrace".

The last section starts with "now therefore" it means the speaker will now talk about the things they need to do right now before the time flies. He says that youth is the best part of the life to enjoy. At this time, one becomes energetic and passionate. The skin is as fresh as the morning dew.

Moreover, in her youth, the beloved's soul is very much willing to come out (transpire) from every pore of the skin with immediate desires. The speaker says that the young soul of his mistress breathes out through her beautiful skin in "instant fires" of enthusiasm and passion for love.

Note:

(1) The poem uses understatement and irony, praising the grave as a "fine" and "private" place. This is a perfect transition to the carpe diem theme.
(2) Returns to the theme of youthful lust.
(3) The mistress is skin glows in vitality like the morning dew. This simile as originally used the word "glew" instead of 'dew'.
(4) "Instant love" refers enthusiasm and passion for love.

5.

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-chapped power
Let us roll over strength and all
Our sweetness up into one ball
And tear our pleasures with rough strife
Through the iron gates of life
Thus though we can not make our sun
Stand still, yet we will make him run.

Reference: As above.

Context: The speaker makes use of set of harsh images that lend intensity and force to his expression. "Birds of prey" is an unexpected choice for a love poem.

In the concluding couplet, the speaker and his mistress triumphantly turn back the destructive forces of time.

Explanation: The speaker here is actually talking about his lady's erotic desires which he believes he can see in her body, so, he suggests that they should indulge in physical lovemaking (sport hints at a sexual play) without wasting time. This is like making hay while the sun shines.

The speaker now suggests that the two lovers should be like passionate (amorous) praying birds (like eagle, hawk etc.) and eat devour time before time eats them. He means to say that unless the lovers enjoy their time at their youthful heights, time won't wait for them and they will slowly suffer (languish) the destructing power of time.

The speaker now suggests that they should unite all their strength and passion along with their sweetness to get the pleasure of love. Life is just an iron gate that doesn't open easily. It is filled with struggle and resentment (rough strife) with all their strength and passion, the lovers will tear the iron gate to get that happiness.

In the last couplet, the poet wants to say that they can't make their good times of youth wait for them. However they can make the most of their time with love's unitedness it would be fitting challenge to the running of time then.

Note:

(1) The simile of "birds of prey" is an unexpected choice for a love poem.
(2) Metaphor uses - Cannonball of "strength" and "sweetness".
(3) The Juxtaposition of "strife" with "pleasures" indicates the ferocious breakthrough of the speaker's argument winning over his mistress.
(4) In the final couplet of the poem, the sun is used as a symbol for time as a whole. The lover uses "him for Sun" and talks of making him run. All there are examples of personification - The speaker and his mistress force the Sun to race them instead of passively begging the Sun to stand still like Joshua did in the Bible. When he pleaded with God, to make the Sun stand still so the isralites might defeat the Amorites in broad daylight.

...Prev | Next...