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To His Coy Mistress Lyrics by Frederic Rzewski

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Had we but world enough and time
This coyness, lady, were no crime
We would sit down, and think which way
To walk, and pass our long love’s day
Thou by the Indian Ganges’ side
Shouldst rubies find; I by the tide
Of Humber would complain. I would
Love you ten years before the flood
And you should, if you please, refuse
Till the conversion of the Jews
My vegetable love should grow
Vaster than empires and more slow;
An hundred years should go to praise
Thine еyes, and on thy forehead gazе;
Two hundred to adore each breast
But thirty thousand to the rest;
An age at least to every part
And the last age should show your heart
For, lady, you deserve this state
Nor would I love at lower rate
But at my back I always hear
Time’s wingèd chariot hurrying near;
And yonder all before us lie
Deserts of vast eternity
Thy beauty shall no more be found;
Nor, in thy marble vault, shall sound
My echoing song; then worms shall try
That long-preserved virginity
And your quaint honour turn to dust
And into ashes all my lust;
The grave’s a fine and private place
But none, I think, do there embrace
Now therefore, while the youthful hue
Sits on thy skin like morning dew
And while thy willing soul transpires
At every pore with instant fires
Now let us sport us while we may
And now, like amorous birds of prey
Rather at once our time devour
Than languish in his slow-chapped power
Let us roll all our strength and all
Our sweetness up into one ball
And tear our pleasures with rough strife
Through the iron gates of life:
Thus, though we cannot make our sun
Stand still, yet we can make him run
Credits
Frederic Rzewski

Frederic Rzewski

About “To His Coy Mistress” by Frederic Rzewski

Read the complete lyrics to "To His Coy Mistress" by Frederic Rzewski. On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Pop.

"To His Coy Mistress" is performed by Frederic Rzewski. This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "To His Coy Mistress", explore more songs by Frederic Rzewski using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

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Frequently asked questions

"To His Coy Mistress" is credited to Frederic Rzewski. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

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Visit the Frederic Rzewski artist page at /artist/frederic-rzewski for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.