Question

which excerpt highlights the theme of the fleeting nature of life?
but at my back i always hear
times winged chariot hurrying near;
and yonder all before us lie
deserts of vast eternity.
(andrew marvell, \to his coy mistress\)
and poppy or charms can make us sleep as well
and better than thy stroke; why swellst thou then?
one short sleep past, we wake eternally
and death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die.
(john donne, sonnet 10)
of what is fit and not. forsake thy cage,
thy rope of sands,
which petty thoughts have made, and made to thee
(george herbert, \the collar\)
thy beams, so reverend and strong
why shouldst thou think?
i could eclipse and cloud them with a wink,
but that i would not lose her sight so long;
(john donne, \the sun rising\)

Explanation:

The phrase "Time's winged chariot hurrying near" in Andrew Marvell's excerpt uses a metaphor of time as a fast - approaching chariot. This implies that time (and by extension, life) is fleeting. The mention of "Deserts of vast eternity" further emphasizes the contrast between the shortness of life (before us) and the vastness of what comes after (eternity).

Answer:

But at my back I always hear Time's winged chariot hurrying near; And yonder all before us lie Deserts of vast eternity. (Andrew Marvell, "To His Coy Mistress")