“But, as the other pleasures of the eye, Increase proportion to the numbers, or The heaps of coin, or loads of honeyed wine, So, he who, in a litter, does recline, Or, in a chamber, at his ease, does lie, But, as the other pleasures of the eye, Increase proportion to the numbers, or The heaps of coin, or loads of honeyed wine, So, he who, in a litter, does recline, Or, in a chamber, at his ease, does lie, In ten years’ space, or twenty, grows more slow, Vaster than empires, and more slow.”
In his book “The Cambridge Companion to Andrew Marvell,” scholar Nigel Smith notes that the phrase “vaster than empires and more slow” reflects Marvell’s “characteristic fascination with the relationship between nature and human history.” Smith argues that the phrase should be seen as a expression of Marvell’s “awe at the scale and majesty of nature,” as well as his recognition of the “limits of human power and understanding.” vaster than empires and more slow pdf
The phrase can also be seen as a commentary on the transience of human power and the fleeting nature of earthly glory. Marvell’s use of the word “empires” specifically highlights the impermanence of even the greatest human accomplishments, which are ultimately subject to decline and fall. “But, as the other pleasures of the eye,