The forward youth that would appear
Must now forsake his Muses dear,
Nor in the shadows sing
His numbers languishing.
'Tis time to leave the books in dust,
And oil th' unused armour's rust,
Removing from the wall
These lines advance the idea that the youth are leaving behind the world of personal love poetry. This acts as an ominous opening to the poem, foreshadowing events that may be touched upon by Marvell in the coming stanzas.
An Horatian Ode Upon Cromwells Return from Ireland