A) The 46 lines of MarvellÆs To His Coy Mistress can be divided into three sections, the first section being lines 1-20, the second lines 21-32, and the third from line 33 to the end. The divisions occur naturally here, as the speaker of the poem argues one point in each of these three sections. The three points argued are: 1) If there were no limitations on time, then the speaker would spend thousands of years merely praising the beauty of his coy beloved; 2) But time is limited for mortals and death prevents lovers from any sort of embrace; 3) Therefore, the speaker suggests he and his coy mistress should roll in the hay while the sun shines to gain the most of their short time.
B) Coy means to basically shy away from social contact, or the condition of being ôreserved.ö In the context of To His Coy Mistress, however, the term coy takes on an affected nature of flirtation and modesty. In other words, the beloved female of the speaker is being affected in her pretense that she wishes to avoid him, all the while flirting with him.
C) If time were not an issue, the speaker maintains that he would by the tide of the Humber complain, while his beloved by the Indian GangesÆ side finds rubies. In the context of the poem, complain equates to the speakerÆs condition. He would not actually be complaining but more so lamenting the deep feelings inspired in him by his affections for his beloved. Thus, instead of conventional meaning associated with complaining, he would be singing the praises of his beloved by the riverÆs side.
D) One connection between HerrickÆs To The Virgins and MarvellÆs To His Coy Mistress is the notion of fleeting mortality. The speaker in Mistress laments that at his ôback I always hear / TimeÆs winged chariot hurrying nearö (Marvell 1). In HerrickÆs poem, he informs his listener to ôGather ye rosebuds while ye may, / Old time is still a-flying: / And this same flower that smiles to-day / T...