Carpe Diem

The Latin phrase "carpe diem" means "seize the day." The "carpe diem" philosophy holds that one's time on earth is shorter than one thinks and therefore must be held on to for as long as possible; those who subscribe to such a philosophy tend to value the present more than the unchangeable past or uncertain future. This attitude toward "living deep" and "sucking the marrow out of life" (as Henry David Thoreau phrased it) is a favorite theme of Herrick's and, indeed, of many seventeenth- century poets. "To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time" epitomizes the "carpe diem" philosophy by urging its readers—specifically, the young and naive "virgins" of the title—to make the most of the present before their youths have passed. The opening line, "Gather ye rose-buds while ye may," uses the symbol of the rosebuds to command the virgins to symbolically "seize...