Background
- 1621- Born
- Went to Hull Grammar School
- 1633- Trinity College
- 1637- Two poems published in Musa Cantabrigiensis
- 1638-Scholar of Trinity College, earned BA, Mother Died
- 1640- Father Dies, Completes Masters
- 1650-Tutored Sir Thomas Fairfax's Daughter
- 1650-1655 Wrote Upon Appleton House, To His Coy Mistress, Definition of Love
- 1653- Befriends John Milton
- 1657- Turns to supporter of Cromwell
- 1657- Assistant to John Milton
- 1659- Represents Hull to Parliament
- Wrote Tom May's Death (attacked Cromwellian)
- 1658-1678 Politically active, writes pamphlets and satires
- 1681- Miscellaneous poems
- 1678- Dies, Buried in Church of St. Giles in the Fields.
To His Coy Mistress
Stanza 1: Had we enough time, this shyness wouldn't be a problem. We could sit down and think which way to walk, and think of how to pass the day. And you could refuse till the Jews convert. My natural love will grow vaster than empires and more slow, I would praise your eyes and face for a hundred years, and praise each breast for two hundred years, and thirty thousand years to the rest, an age for every part with the last being your heart, you deserve this state, and I would love you at any rate.
Stanza 2: But time is upon us and the deserts of eternity lie ahead. Your beauty will be lost and my echoing song will not be in your tomb, worms shall break your virginity and your pettie honor will turn to dust and into ashes will fall my lust. THe grave's definately a private place but no one will embrace you there.
Stanza 3: So, while you are still fresh with youth, let us have sex while we can, and like loving birds of prey devour this time, and fade in Time's slow-cracked power and let us muster all our strength and all our sweetness and tear our pleasures with rough strife through the iron gates of life. Even though we can not make time stop we can make him run.
Bermudas
Where the Bermudas ride the ocean's bosom unseen, from a small boat the winds receieve this song: "We should sing his praise for he did lead us through the Atlantic Ocean to an isle unkown thats far nicer than our England. He got us past the sea creatures and landed us on the grassy land. safe from storms and rage. He gave us eternal spring which covers everything. He sends birds for food to us everyday. He puts oranges in the trees, and pomegranates, and makes figs for us to eat, and melons, and pineapples that only bloom once. He packs the land with trees hand picked from Lebanon and makes the seas bring ambergris to the shore. He drops pearls on the coast and framed a temple from the rock for us to pray. Let us exalt him with praise till he can hear it in heavan which after resounding will echo on the Mexican Bay.' They sung in the row boat to keep time.
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