Carpe Diem Through the Eyes of Robert Herrick

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Throughout centuries there have been many poets writing about seizing the day. Robert Herrick is a poet who had bold and divergent views of ‘carpe diem’ which are age, love, and just living because one does not have much time.

“The age is best which is the first,” (Line 11). In Robert Herrick’s poem, ‘To The Virgins to Make Much of Time,’ he focuses on the significance of youth. Age is something very important to him. He lets the reader know that if one does not do things while their bodies are strong and juvenile then they have not seized the day. They did not put their good years to use. “When youth and blood are warmer; But being spent, the worse, and worst..” (Line 12 and 13). He believes one has more beauty their youth. Herrick lets the readers know that they have better chances to find love or marry while they are young. He just wants the readers to take advantage of their lives while they are younger because he is not of his ‘first’ years and knows what it is like to look back and regret not living life to the fullest.

Robert Herrick was a poet of the 16th and 17th century. He was born August 24, 1591 in London. Herrick was a man expected to do much by his family. His dad, Nicholas Herrick, died in 1592, a year after Herrick was born. Nicholas did not die of disease, he committed suicide the day after he made out his will. “By the will Robert and William Herrick were appointed ‘overseers,’ or trustees for the children.” (Life of Herrick). Herrick was left with many responsibilities and lived up to them for a while as best as he could. Herrick did not want to stay in the family business though so after a while of doing what he needed to do Herrick, “ making the best of his losses, he bade farewell to Dean Prior, shook the dust of ‘loathed Devonshire’ off his feet, and returned gaily to London, where he appears to have discarded his clerical habit and to have been made abundantly welcome..” (Life of Herrick). He realized how much time he had wasted doing things he did not really enjoy doing. Herrick was a guy who wanted more of a thrill and you can see that in his poem, ‘To the Virgins to Make Much of Time.

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