"To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time" is a 1648 poem by the English
Cavalier
The term ''Cavalier'' () was first used by Roundheads as a term of abuse for the wealthier royalist supporters of Charles I of England and his son Charles II of England, Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum (England), Int ...
poet
Robert Herrick. The poem is in the genre of ''
carpe diem
() is a Latin aphorism, usually translated "seize the day", taken from book 1 of the Roman poet Horace's work '' Odes'' (23 BC).
Translation
is the second-person singular present active imperative of '' carpō'' "pick or pluck" used by Ho ...
'', Latin for "seize the day".
1648 text
Theme
First published as number 208 in the verse collection ''
Hesperides
In Greek mythology, the Hesperides (; , ) are the nymphs of evening and golden light of sunsets, who were the "Daughters of the Evening" or "Nymphs of the West". They were also called the Atlantides () from their reputed father, Atlas (mytholog ...
'' (1648), the poem extols the notion of ''carpe diem'', a philosophy that recognizes the brevity of life and the need to live for and in the moment. The phrase originates in
Horace
Quintus Horatius Flaccus (; 8 December 65 BC – 27 November 8 BC), Suetonius, Life of Horace commonly known in the English-speaking world as Horace (), was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus (also known as Octavian). Th ...
's ''
Ode
An ode (from ) is a type of lyric poetry, with its origins in Ancient Greece. Odes are elaborately structured poems praising or glorifying an event or individual, describing nature intellectually as well as emotionally. A classic ode is structu ...
''
1.11.
See also
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1648 in poetry
To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time
— First lines from Robert Herrick's ''To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time'', first published this year
Nationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature (for ...
* "
To His Coy Mistress
"To His Coy Mistress" is a metaphysical poem written by the English author and politician Andrew Marvell (1621–1678). It is considered one of Marvell's finest and is possibly the best recognised carpe diem poem in English.
It was written d ...
", a poem by
Andrew Marvell
Andrew Marvell (; 31 March 1621 – 16 August 1678) was an English metaphysical poet, satirist and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1659 and 1678. During the Commonwealth period he was a colleague and friend ...
on the same subject
*
Catullus 5
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Lady Du Qiu
*
Gondola no Uta
References
External links
Full text
{{DEFAULTSORT:To The Virgins, To Make Much Of Time
1648 poems
English poems