In “Coy Mistress” and “As I Walked out One Evening”, the structures are very reflective of the theme and the poets’ perceptions of love in relation to time. “As I walked out one Evening” has a very “sing-song” rhythm. Auden’s upbeat structure espouses his acceptance of time and the acceptance of loving with a “crooked heart.” Unlike Marvel who prolongs his poem as he hopes to prolong time, Auden’s view of time and love is more light-hearted. In contrast, in “To His Coy Mistress,” the juxtaposition between slow and fast sentence structure outlines the overall concept of the poem that time is not endless and we must seize the day. Marvell purposefully structures his sentences in a way to slow down the reader as they are reading the poem. The slowness of the line “And the last age should show your heart” (Marvell 18) contrasts with the speed of the line “And tear our pleasures with rough strife” (43). The lines are juxtaposed in order to express the theme of time and its affect on love. Marvell realizes that time cannot slow down or stop, therefore puts a condition on love. Even without understanding the words of the poems, the reader can get the gist of the theme of time in both poems through the particular poem rhythm and sound.
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