Andrew Marvell's To His Coy Mistress uses many exaggerations to express the speaker's concept of time and how life doesn't last forever. The speaker of the poem wants to pursue a relationship with this mistress of his but she has not given him an answer yet. He is tired of waiting and wants a response because he, nor anybody else, has enough time in their life to wait on a chance for love. The speaker goes on to try and convince his mistress that their time together isn't forever and to take advantage of their love now before it is too late. .
Marvell begins the poem by gently explaining to his mistress that if there were such a thing as endless time, or eternity, her delayed response would be okay. As he starts the first stanza with "Had we but world enough, and time, / This coyness, lady, were no crime" (1-2). He calls her coy, which means, playful or unwilling to make a commitment. He says it would be okay to be coy, if they had enough time to play such games, but life is short and she is just wasting time. He then states that if they did have enough time they " would sit down, and think which way / To walk, and pass our long love's day"(3-4). He is willing to sit down take the time to ponder their relationship but knows that it is useless because there isn't enough time in their lifetimes to do so. .
Marvell's speaker then goes on to explain what he would be up to if there were enough time to wait on his mistress's decision. He wouldn't focus on anything but her. He describes how dedicated he would be in pursuing her and how intense his love for would be if they had time:.
Love you ten years before the flood, .
And you should, if you please, refuse.
Till the conversion of the Jews. (8-10).
When he speaks of a flood he is referring to Noah's Ark which occurred in the first book of the bible. And line 10 refers to the last book of the bible, which determines it will happen at the end of the world.