"To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time" is a poem written by Robert Herrick in the 17th century. The poem is in the genre of carpe diem, to seize the day.
Poem
To the Virgins, to make much of Time GATHER ye rosebuds while ye may, Old Time is still a-flying:
And this same flower that smiles to-day To-morrow will be dying.
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.
That age is best which is the first, When youth and blood are warmer;
But being spent, the worse, and worst Times still succeed the former.
Then be not coy, but use your time, And while ye may, go marry:
For having lost but once your prime, You may for ever tarry.
Interpretation
The poem uses many metaphors throughout to relate youth and nature to the reader. Herrick strongly uses "The Virgins" in the poem to represent people at the beginning of life, and speaks of how, just like the sun rises and sets, so does every human soul. The poem depicts the human existence on earth, and that as life goes on and people age, and everything becomes limited. The poet urges people that now is the time to take advantage of youth and energy, because if we are still virgins in the end, then we have not made the most of time. The "sun" in the first line of the second stanza may be a pun on the word "son", as he is referring to youth. The word "marry" in the third last line of the last stanza may be a pun on the word "merry", again stressing the "carpe diem" theme.
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