How we cite our quotes: (line)
Quote #4
Rather at once our time devour (line 39)
Until the late 1800s and early 1900s, time is thought to be "absolute," or the same for everybody. Now, we know that time is different for everybody, depending on where each person is in space. By using the possessive "our," the speaker suggests the idea that takes another two hundred years to become "common knowledge." Marvell is way ahead of his time. (See "Symbols, Imagery, Wordplay" for more on this line.)