Explain the discussion and appreciation of the poem "To His Coy Mistress".
Ans."To His Coy Mistress", written by Andrew Marvell, is a witty exploration of the traditional carpe diem theme, and it can be read on several levels. The poem is a clever presentation of the carpe diem philosophy-the view that the days of youth are short and so should be best used in the enjoyment of pleasures of love. The speaker presents this view before his sweetheart in order to persuade her to accept his proposal without delay since the end of youth is imminent and without youth there is no pleasure.
The satirical vein directed at the poor understanding of the lover is evident in the speaker's reference to the two continents where two rivers, the Ganges and the Humber, flow and maintain the division of the world. The lovers would have been by the banks of the two rivers and would have passed time in waiting if only they had the privilege of control over time. This is the beginning of a tedious argument-of the references to the beginning of the creation, its end and to the recent growth of European imperialism. All those historical stages have been crossed over a long stretch of time. Had the lovers had that much time in their disposal, the speaker would have taken a hundred years to look at her beautiful eyes and two hundred years to gaze at her breasts. All this is in hyperbolic mode, implying its sheer improbability.
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