time moves very fast, and if they wait too long, they will lose the chance to enjoy love. So, he proposes that they should enjoy love now, while they are young and full of energy.    

Central Idea of the Poem: “To His Coy Mistress” is a perfect example of the “Carpe Diem” theory. It means “seize the day” or “enjoy the present moment.” The central idea of this poem is to enjoy the present moment. The poet tries to convince his beloved to enjoy love before time runs out.

At the beginning, Marvell says that if he had so much time, he would wait forever to love her slowly and gently. He would spend hundreds of years praising her eyes, breasts, and each part of her beauty. He says:

“An hundred years should go to praise

Thine eyes,...”

Then, Marvell changes his tone. He reminds her that time is passing quickly. He says he always hears:

“Time’s wingèd chariot hurrying near;”

This means that death is always coming closer. He warns her that after death, her beauty will be gone. Nobody can enjoy love after death. So, Marvell proposes to her to enjoy love now, while they are still young and fresh.

Use of Conceits: A conceit is a clever, surprising comparison between two very different things. This poem is full of conceit. For example, Marvell compares his love to slow-growing vegetables. He says:

“My vegetable Love should grow

Vaster than Empires…”

Here, the poet means that he wants to admire her beauty patiently, by taking time like slow-growing vegetables. And his love will grow stronger with time. “Time’s wingèd chariot” is another conceit. Here, Marvell is comparing time to a fast chariot chasing them. It means death is coming closer with every minute. So, he warns his mistress that they should enjoy love while they are still alive.

Then, Marvell uses another conceit to show that love is not possible after death. He says that nobody can love, hug, or kiss in a grave, though it is a private place. As he writes:

“The grave’s a fine and private place,

But none, I think, do there embrace.”

Marvell’s conceits make this poem entertaining and memorable.

Symbols: We find many symbols in this poem. One powerful symbol is “morning dew.” In line 34, the poet compares the mistress's youthful skin to “morning dew.” Morning dew vanishes as the day progresses. It suggests that time will ruin her youthful beauty. So, “morning dew” is a symbol of youth, which fades very quickly. “Dust” and “ashes” are symbols of death. The poet says that his mistress's virginity will “turn to dust,” and his lust will turn to “ashes.” It means that death will soon come for them, and they will not get enough time to enjoy love.

Form, Meter, Rhyme Scheme: The poem is written in rhyming couplets, which means every two lines rhyme. The rhyme scheme is AA, BB, CC, and so on. This gives the poem a smooth and musical flow. It is written in iambic tetrameter.

Language and Tone: The language of the poem is rich, clever, and powerful. He uses a polite and romantic tone at the beginning to admire the beauty of his coy mistress. The poem then shifts to a serious tone to talk about time, death, and the grave. We find a passionate tone at the end, when he asks her to enjoy love now.

In fine, “To His Coy Mistress” is a beautiful and clever love poem. Marvell uses the ‘Carpe Diem’ idea to say that life is short and we should enjoy the present moment. Marvell’s deep feelings and smart logic to explain love, clever comparisons, and symbols make this poem entertaining and memorable.