How does the poet use metaphor in the poem, To His Mistress Going to Bed?

The poet makes frequent use of metaphor. This is particularly evident during the extended section that describes the actual process of the mistress undressing. However, unlike in other poems about the female body, the metaphor is not used here euphemistically, to potentially conceal its erotically charged material. Instead, the metaphors further underline the sexual content of the text. For instance, he compares the removal of her gown to “flowery meads th' hill's shadow steals” (14). This metaphor does not merely provide a comparison to something beautiful, it allows the poet to offer some explicit description of her breasts, like hills, casting a shadow over the rest of her torso.