Question

Select the correct answer.

In these lines from "To His Coy Mistress," why does the speaker compare his beloved to morning dew?

Now therefore, while the youthful hue
Sits on thy skin like morning dew,

A.
because, like morning dew, his beloved has a fresh glow

B.
because his beloved's beauty is as transient as the morning dew

C.
because he thinks his beloved is as beautiful as the dawn

Answer 1

B. Because his beloved's beauty is as transient as the morning dew.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the given lines from To His Coy Misstress, the speaker compares his beloved's youthful hue (youthful skin) to morning dew.

Dew is water that we can see in the form of droplets on plants in the morning. It doesn't last long - it is usually gone by mid-morning, disappearing after the sun rises. This is why dew is often used as a symbol for youth and how transient it is. Human life is often compared to one day, with the morning symbolizing youth and the evening symbolizing old age. Youth is as impermanent as dew, and this is what the speaker wants to tell us about his beloved.