Topic - to his coy mistress as a representative of metaphysical Love poem.
To His Coy Mistress’ is one of the most celebrated ‘Carpe Diem’ (seize the day) poems in
English. It consists of three stanzas, where a lover is telling his lady love, who is shy, to shed all
her coyness and utilize the time they have to the fullest. He says in the first stanza what he would
have done, if he had the time he needs. In
the second stanza he warns of the shortage of time and
how she will repent later on (after death) for not using the time properly (in love making). In the
last stanza, he invites her to join him in enjoying the pleasures of love and make the most of the
time they have on this Earth. The poem moves from “If we had…” to “but…” to “therefore” a
logically progressive argument.
Metaphysical school of poetry that had been introduced by Donne and was adopted by poets such as Herbert, Crashaw and Cowley forwarded an exquisite climate of thought. Andrew Marvell is considered as one of the finest poets of the metaphysical verse because of his predilection to wit, interest in argument, allusive style of writing and wonderful usage of metaphysical conceits. “
To His Coy Mistress” is his most celebrated poem which showcases some of the most conformed traits of metaphysical poetry.In this poem the poet’s beloved refrains from investing herself in his overtures for the gratification of their love owing to her esteemed concepts of modesty. The poet persuades his mistress of the reasonableness of his stand through sound arguments that are put forward in a neat syllogism. The first tire of the argument blinds the mistress with fancies of timeless love. The second segment shocks her into the reality that time, youth and beauty are transient and soon she will be stranded in “deserts of vast eternity”. The third tier provides a logical conclusion to the beloved’s dilemma of chastity by establishing a sensual participation in the frenzy of passion as the only remedy to overcome the corroding effects of time. Thus we see that the characteristic feature of a metaphysical poem which is an argumentative and analytical approach is essential to the poem’s basic situation here.
The poem is based on the age-old Carpe Diem theme which deals with the issue of brevity of life. This theme although being a very hackneyed one has been developed in a way that catches our attention because of the poet’s fresh take on the concept of defeating time with the help of human passion. This novelty of thought is another aspect of the poem’s meta-physicality.Like a typical metaphysical poem, Coy Mistress has a dramatic opening – “Had we but world enough and time, this coyness lady were no crime”. This opening dramatically reverses the Puritanical concept of crime and virtue and defines virtuous coyness as “crime” since it creates a barrier against the fulfilment of love.
Marvell conjoins two contradictory emotions in this poem. Coy Mistress reveals a unique conjoining of seriousness with levity and cavalier excess with classical elegance and poise. In a typically metaphysical manner, the poet has controlled his passion through his intellect and the seriousness of his request is tempered by his light-heartedness.The
metaphysical conceits used in the poem are breathtaking. Marvell compares himself and his beloved to “amorous birds of prey” and the united force of the lovers is equated to a cannon ball which is strong enough to break through the “iron gates of life”. The Attachment of a time calendar to the traditional catalogue of praise is a startling hyperbole – “An age at least to every part”.
The poem’s meta-physicality increases because of its allusiveness that rests upon Marvell’s biblical as well as classical knowledge. References have been made to the biblical flood to emphasize upon eternal love and also to Greek Gods Chronos and Phoebus to shed light upon fleeting time as the devourer of human life.
"To His coy Mistress" is full of wonderful metaphysical conceits. When the poet comparesHis
loves growth with the growth of vegetables we become amused. This strange comparison evokes
our attention and wonder at the same time.
My vegetable love should grow
Vaster than empires, and more slow;
(Line 11-12) ―To His Coy Mistress‖
The picture of Time’s a four wheeled carriage chariot hurrying and coming closer and closer to
overtake the lovers vividly brings before
another remarkable metaphysical conceit. The picture of
the women lying in her grave and the worms attacking her long preserved virginity and her
honour turning to dust are also wonderful conceits showing the poets wit.
Time’s wingèd chariot hurrying near;
And yonder all before us lie
Deserts of vast eternity.
(Line 21-23) ―To His Coy Mistress‖
Much of the imagery in Marvell's poetry is of the learned kind, and it is characterized also by that
vividness and concreteness which are among the marks of metaphysical poetry. The second half
of "The Definition of Love" has the learned kind of imagery. The poet imagines that fate has
placed their two lovers as far apart from each other as the North Pole and the South Pole. The poet
says that his love may be achieved if these two conditions are fulfilled.
Abrupt openings are another distinct feature of metaphysical poetry and some of Marvell's poems
have this dramatic quality.
Conclusion
Thus we may conclude that “To His Coy Mistress” is a brilliant piece of metaphysical love poetry owing to its argumentative style that is coloured with wit and intellect. The poem’s originality of thought, perfect blend of emotional intensity and ironic wit along with startling conceits and allusions awards the poem a metaphysical appeal.
