¡°A young man is persuading his loved lady into accepting his love considering the short lifetime.¡± The theme of this poem is not new, but Andrew Marvell is unique in the selection and development of images and structuring of the poem. More important, in the words of poet T. S. Eliot, Marvell gives voice to his violent passion by his tough reasoning competence beneath slight lyric grace.
             In the first stanza, Andrew Marvell gives a delicate account to courtly love, by extending love into unlimited time and space. ¡°For, Lady, you deserve this state, nor would I love at lower rate.¡± In fact, these two lines are absolutely enough to elevate their love onto the untouched height. Down to the second stanza, the poet wakes up to the comparatively transitory life. Then the introduction of death adds to the intense ambience and solemnness of the poem. Besides, at this point the development of images greatly changes. ¡°The grave¡¯s a fine and private place, but none, I think, do there embrace.¡± Through brilliant imagination, Marvell inosculates four centric images¡ªtime, space, death and love right into these two lines. Thus comes into the limelight the poem¡¯s climate. Meanwhile, the conflict climbs onto the peak. Naturally in the following stanza, the poet is to lay out the solution: to ¡°sport us while we may¡±. With the iron gates of restriction around, there is only one way out for unfettered love. That is rolling together all strength against barriers; that is indulging in sweetness and pleasures as if there is only two on the earth; that is leaving far behind the limitation of space and enjoying love as it goes. In short, it is striving for love that could defeat time, space and death.
             As for the style of this poem, lines about amorous birds, slow-chapt and the like outstandingly release the scent of the metaphysical thinking; and Indian Ganges, Humber, vegetable and mornin...