Comparison of tone in "To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time" and "To His Coy Mistress"

“To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time” by Robert Herrick, tells about using time wisely because it can soon run out. Lines 3 and 4 say “and the same flower that smiles today,/tomorrow will be dying,” meaning time can go so quickly without even realizing it, so make the most of it; seize the day. In contrast to “To His Coy Mistress” by Andrew Marvell, Herrick’s poem says “then be not coy, but use your time” (13). “To His Coy Mistress” tells of how the man will be doting to the woman and “an hundred years should go to praise/ thine eyes, and on they forehead gaze, / two hundred to adore each breast, / but thirty thousand to the rest” (13-16). This shows how although you should make good use of your time, you can imagine and wish how time would go. Both of these poems use “carpe diem” as their theme, yet they take a different approach to the saying. “To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time” has a more light-hearted tone than “To His Coy Mistress” through implying that you better use your time wisely or it will be over before you know it. “To His Coy Mistress” has more imaginative and dreamlike tone. The promises made to the woman are unrealistic and not as infinite as the statements made in “To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time.”