To His Coy Mistress

"The Ecstasy", or The Extasie, by John Donne (1633)

This metaphysical poem by Donne shares the theme of uniting body and soul with Marvell’s “To His Coy Mistress.” Also, Donne utilizes imagery of the grave, including “sepulchral statues.” Both Marvel and Donne use memento mori to argue for engaging in physical acts of love, as well as lovers metaphysically mixing. The body is celebrated and abstaining from sex is frowned upon in both poems because the body is connected to the soul for the metaphysical poets.

"There is a Garden in Her Face" by Thomas Campion (1601)

Campion’s Renaissance poem utilizes the literary device of the blazon that Marvell reworks. Both Campion and Marvell have moments of orientalism; Marvell’s Indian rubies echo Campion’s “orient pearl.” These precious stones are characterized as foreign: They stand out as exotic and pricey elements among otherwise English and commonplace imagery. Marvell, unlike Campion, does not use (white) objects to describe beauty, but rather makes the blazon device a temporal one—connecting feminine features to time.

"The Sunrise Ruby" by Rumi (13th century)

In contrast to the foreign rubies of Marvell’s poem that illustrate a colonial view of the precious stone, Rumi describes the intermingling of the ruby with the sunlight passing through it.