This poem compares the speaker's mistress to natural elements like the sun, coral, snow, and roses in an unconventional way. While praising her beauty, the speaker notes that her eyes are not like the sun, her lips are not as red as coral, her breasts are dull like snow, and the roses he has seen are more beautiful. However, he loves to hear her speak and thinks his love for her is as rare as any other. The poem uses paradoxes and imperfect comparisons to explore the speaker's love and attraction to his mistress.