As I was reading "To His Coy Mistress" I could not help but smile. It seemed like such a romantic poem. I know I seem like such a giddy girl (and this is a great first impression for my new blog group, haha), but it is a really beautiful poem. I loved when he describes how he would study each part of her body for thousands of years.
"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."
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."
It was such a charming way for him to tell the woman how much he adores her, that he would do nothing else but study and take in her body for decades.
While some men, and even some women, might say that all he is seeking is sex, I have to disagree. Although the poem is clearly sexual, I believe that it is so much more than a physical attraction. The speaker is obviously quite in love with this woman. It is easy to see in his diction and tone. He has no intention of tricking her or using his words to have his way. He simply wants to spend the rest of eternity in her arms.
Besides the theme of love, there is also a clearly present idea of time and running out of time. He isn't worried about dying, per say. He is worried that he will not have enough time with his love. So while there are more than one theme presented in this poem, everything links back to the over-arching idea of pure love. Mark Strand says, "Love, the act of love, the pleasure it seeks might offer the illusion of sidestepping the inevitable" (Strand xx). The speaker believes that the love he and his coy mistress could share could help them live the rest of their short lives.
Isn't sappy love so wonderful? :)
