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Comment by robot-wrangler

1 day ago

> I've heard that for humans too, indecent proposals are more likely to penetrate protective constraints when couched in poetry

Had we but world enough and time, This coyness, lady, were no crime. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44688/to-his-coy-mist...

4 comments

robot-wrangler

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internet_points  6 hours ago 

    My echoing song; then worms shall try
    That long-preserved virginity,
    And your quaint honour turn to dust,
    And into ashes all my lust;

hah, barely couched at all

  • gjm11  25 minutes ago

    Note that at the time this was written the word "quaint" had both (1) roughly its modern meaning -- unusual and quirky, with side-orders of prettiness and (at the time) ingenuity, fastidiousness, and pride -- and also (2) a rather different meaning, equivalent to a shorter word ending in -nt.

    So, even less couched than some readers might realise.

  • svat  26 minutes ago

    Don't miss the response “His Coy Mistress To Mr. Marvell” (by A. D. Hope): https://allpoetry.com/His-Coy-Mistress-To-Mr.-Marvell

        Since you have world enough and time
    Sir, to admonish me in rhyme,
    Pray Mr Marvell, can it be
    You think to have persuaded me?
    
    […]
    
    But-- well I ask: to draw attention
    To worms in-- what I blush to mention,
    And prate of dust upon it too!
    Sir, was this any way to woo?