Marvell’s “To His Coy Mistress

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A few of the lines are irregular however. Lines 23 and 24 rhyme “lie” with “eternity,” and lines 27 and 28 rhyme “try” with “virginity.” It is interesting to not that lie rhymes with try, just as eternity rhymes with virginity. Marvell used this technique to change up the systemic flow of the rest of the poem. By highlighting these two couplets, the symbolism of those lines strikes the reader with greater impact than the rest of the poem. Images of “deserts of vast eternity” and “virginity” together instill the idea that it will be hard to
prolong virginity, and it would be better to give in now.
The poem is mostly written in iambic tetrameter, and flows softly and easily, much like a nursery rhyme. All the lines do not conform to the same format, however. While most lines contain eight syllables, some have more. Line 27 uses nine syllables, as does line 38. The switching of the meter keeps the reader on edge, and never lets the poem slip into a monotonous cycle. Not ...

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