To His Coy Mistress To His Coy Mistress "To His Coy Mistress" is a metaphysical poem written by the English author and politician Andrew Marvell (1621–1678) either during or just before the English Interregnum (1649–60). It was published posthumously in 1681. This poem is considered one of Marvell's finest and is possibly the best recognized carpe diem poem in English. Although the date of its composition is not known, it may have been written in the early 1650s. At that time, Marvell was serving as a tutor to the daughter of the retired commander of the New Model Army, Sir Thomas Fairfax. The speaker
Elegy XIX: To His Mistress Going to Bed is her king and emperor, reveling unabashedly in his masculine dominion over her”, which suggests that Donne's speaker takes a position of superiority and governance over his mistress. However, it is important to note that without the "new-found-land", AKA the mistress, Donne's speaker would not be a king. As much as the mistress needs the speaker, the speaker needs the mistress. This is also reverent in the last lines of the poem, "To teach thee, I am naked first, why then/What needst thou have more covering then a man?" (47–8); Donne's speaker removes his clothes to guide, or teach, his