"To His Coy Mistress" by Andrew Marvell suggests that life should be lived to the fullest through a seductive letter. By the use of explicit imagery and particular diction that the idea sounds reasonable and this is supported by clever sequencing.
By starting the poem with "Had we but world enough and time", A. Marvell approaches the seducement gently explaining how love would be so friend-like if life was eternal. Marvell uses "love's day, love you" to show how Marvell would be romantic and coy to his mistress if life was eternal. The imagery from "By Ganges' side, Shouldst rubies find" suggests if life was eternal, Marvell would adventure and waste time with his mistress. By raising the question "if life was eternal" Marvell explains to his mistress he would be romantic, dedicated and patient about love.
"But at my back I always hear, Time's winged chariot hurrying near".
Engraving of Andrew Marvell
English: Andrew Marvell (1621-1678)
Andrew Marvell College - Aerial Photos February 21...The introduction of "but" emphasizes the cold fact that time is not eternal and overthrows all the possibilities of patience in Marvell's love towards his mistress. "Deserts" from the sentence "Deserts of vast eternity" creates an explicit image of life being striped bare and becoming dry. "Deserts" supports the idea as it may suggest that the mistress becoming old, wrinkled and infertile which destroys reproduction and the key of life. Marvell uses "Vault, Ashes all my lust, turn to dust" as it creates the negative mood while talking about what will happen if the mistress would decline to the seducement. "Worms should try that long-preserved virginity" is an explicit image which supports Marvell's idea. Literally it means if the mistress were to not have sex, the necrophiliac worms will rape her in the grave.
By using "So, Now, Therefore" there is a sudden change in the seductive letter to a...