In his poem, "To His Coy Mistress," Marvell attempts to persuade the eponymous mistress to give up "that long-preserved virginity" on account of the fact that, eventually, her "beauty shall no more be found" and her "quaint honour" will mean nothing when his lust has turned "into ashes." Effectively, Marvell is suggesting that because beauty is ephemeral, his shy and virginal mistress would do well to surrender her beauty to him now, and "let us sport us while we may." Otherwise, they will "languish in the slow-chapped power" of time, as it "devour[s]" beauty, and the two of them will reach their graves without having put their youth and beauty to any good purpose. Time's "winged chariot," Marvell says, is always a reminder at his back that they do not have "world enough and time" for his mistress's coyness to be permissible. He cannot wait forever.

Herrick's poem, similarly, encourages young women to "gather ye rosebuds" while the rosebuds are in this early stage of their development, because soon enough they "will be dying." The rosebuds represent the beauty of the titular virgins before it has reached full bloom; the poet's sentiment is that this beauty is ephemeral and should be made the most of while the opportunity is there. Just as the sun will be "nearer...to setting" before we know it, the age "when youth and blood are warmer" will be soon enough succeeded by Time. The same word, "coy," is used by Herrick as he encourages young women to "go marry" while they have the opportunity; soon enough, it will be too late for them to do so.