Carpe Diem

The Latin phrase "carpe diem" can be translated into English as "seize the day." Seizing the day means making the most out of one's life. It is a theme that is commonly found in literature, most notably, poetry. Poetry, like most of literature, goes through periods of change. In the seventeenth century, poetry began to move away from humanism and began to explore the everyday man's thoughts and feelings. Robert Herrick and Andrew Marvell were two poets who wrote during this time of change. Their poems "To the Virgins, To Make Much of Time" and "To His Coy Mistress," are examples of the use of the carpe diem theme in poetry.

In "To the Virgins, To Make Much of Time," the poet uses images to convey a feeling of urgency, that one must make the most of their life while they can. Herrick's poem addresses young women who he feels are waiting too long and not enjoying their youth as they should. The poem opens with the line, "Gather ye rosebuds while ye may" (812). A rose is a powerful image; it is known for its beauty and often represents love. In this poem, the rose is seen as beautiful when it is in its prime. No one admires a withered rose or one that has yet to bloom. People, like the flower, are most admired when they are in the prime of their lives. Herrick urges his audience, the young women, to make the most of their time as youths. His next image is that of the setting sun:

The glorious lamp of heaven, the sun

The higher he's a-getting,

The sooner will his race be run,

And nearer he's to setting. (813)

Everyone has had the feeling that the day just "flew by," and the poet uses this feeling to further convince his audience that their youth will "fly by" too and they must make the most of it....

... middle of paper ...

...rating youth, as illustrated by "To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time." Both poems use the idea of carpe diem to send a message to their audience, whether it was young women in the prime of their lives or a mistress. The images used in each poem add the sense that time is quickly passing and the only right thing to do is to make the most of it.

Work Cited

Brody, Jules. "The Resurrection of the Body: A New Reading of Marvell's to his Coy Mistress." ELH 56.1 (Spring 1989): 53-79.

Herrick, Robert. "To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time." Literature: An Introduction to Poetry, Fiction, and Drama. Ed. X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 6th ed. New York: HarperCollins, 1995. 812 -813.

Marvell, Andrew. "To His Coy Mistress." Literature: An Introduction to Poetry, Fiction, and Drama. Ed. X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 6th ed. New York: HarperCollins, 1995. 826-827.