Major English (Bachelors in Arts) | Tribhuvan University

 "Coy Mistress" written by Annie Finch serves as a direct response to Andrew Marvell's "To His Coy Mistress" which was composed almost two centuries later. It is easy to notice that the time this poem was written in an era more liberal compared to Marvell's piece. In the very first word "Sir", Finch directly addresses Marvell and clarifies that the 'Mistress' is not some bird of prey as Marvell asserted in his poem. She does not crudely seize the day by faltering into promiscuity. Similar to Marvell, Finch too personifies time by capitalizing it and addressing it as 'he'. However, in contrast to Marvell, Finch opines to adopt time as a friend. She says that time will improve and fine tune their youthful quality, say perhaps like a fine aged wine. She poses a question, a rhetorical question perhaps, stating that it is pertinent to understand and comprehend the nature of life before contemplating and expressing love. She says that lif...

Andrew Marvell's "To His Coy Mistress" is filled to the brim with sexual tension, love, desire, fantasy and persuasion. The speaker uses evocative language to reveal his innermost desires of mating with his beloved. He uses the poetic medium as a tool of persuasion to appeal to his beloved to have coitus with him. The poem commences with the speaker's desire of an ideal situation where time is unlimited. He divulges into detailed explanation of how he would treat his lover in this ideal world. He states that if he had unlimited time, the show of modesty would not bother him. He would take his time to savor every moment in praising his lover's lovely traits. He fantasizes his lover picking rubies in the Ganges river of India while he could write songs by the Humber river in England. He could propose to her unceasingly and she could refuse him to the very end and it wouldn't bother him in the least. He would be willing to devote multiple epochs admiring the come...