Aaron Criswell ENGL 240 Daniel A Saalfeld 5/31/2012

To the Virgins, To Make Much of Time Robert Herrick

Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, Old Time is still a-flying; And this same flower that smiles today Tomorrow will be dying. The glorious lamp of heaven, the Sun, The higher hes a-getting, The sooner will his race be run, And nearer hes 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 forever tarry.

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This poem dramatizes the brevity of youth set against the hazard of a life not fully lived. The theme of the poem can readily be understood to be an exoneration to

seize the day, following in the footsteps of many other carpe diem works. To the virgins, To Make Much of Time is written in four stanzas of four lines each and makes use of end rhyming in cross-rhymed quatrains. Within the poem the trochaic foot is employed, which creates a rocking rhythm when read aloud. This gives the work a beat as steady as a metronome indicating the relentless pace of time. If one takes the time to look at the last words used in the first lines of each stanza it may be noticed that the first and fifth together create May sun, a time of warmth, planting crops, and fertility. The ninth and thirteenth together create first time, which fits readily with the virgin imagery, but also indicates a newness and innocence, whereas when compared to the last words of the last lines of each stanza the reader will notice the words dying, setting, former, and tarry. The speakers locality of word choice conveys with it the eternal march of time, from beginning to end, and the need to grab every moment of life. The speakers use of the word virgin within the title of the work not only denotes a chaste and pure maiden, but also carries with it the connotation of youth, both genders, who remain young and full of vitality and innocence. The principle of carpe diem is immediately introduced in the first line with the direction to "gather ye rosebuds". Roses are common symbols for love, sensuality, and earthly pleasures, but carry with them also the implied possibility of pain with the prick of a finger upon a thorn. These roses like the youths being instructed by the speaker are young as well, merely being rosebuds, with the promise of full bloom still ahead. However, in the same line, the speaker connects the possibilities of youth to the eternal conflict of time, admonishing the virgins to enjoy life "while ye may". The steadiness of time are spoken of in line two and the fleetingness of youth displayed in lines three and four. Within line three the smiling flower is already dying in the next line.

As the speaker moves to the second stanza, the audience is again refocused on the importance of time. The speaker themselves seem to be an older figure relaying advice, perhaps through hard won experience. Yet at the same time seems to be at ease with their place in time as can be seen by the pause the speaker takes to explain that the "glorious lamp of heaven" is imagery referring to the sun. The sun is itself a popular symbol for of time and the stages of life, worshipped in ancient mythology and realized as a practical instrument of time keeping through the sundial. With the sun's rising, bringing light and warmth, the earth wakes from its slumber and life is born anew, but as the sun peaks and begins to settle the earth grows dark and cold moving inexorably towards the short death that is slumber. In the third stanza the speaker advises the naive virgins that the time is now, to best celebrate the easily stirred passions of hot blooded youth. The words loudly exclaim that the best time of the virgin's lives are the first part when vitality and energy are strongest. Finally in the last two lines the speaker reminds his audience that time will be spent, one way or the other, and that " worst times will succeed the former." Here the speaker breaks the rhythm of the poem and rushes from line eleven to twelve, doubly emphasizing the speed with which the years can run into each other. Within the final words of the poem, the speaker reiterates in a succinct summary of the poem the brief quality of youth. Bluntly stating that his listeners should not be "coy". With such a statement the words brash, brazen, and bold leap to mind, but the speaker is not advocating unabashed hedonism as is perhaps more common in many of the carpe diem style works. Rather, the speaker instructs the virgins to marry while they still may. Understandably this may cause confusion and be seen as antithetical to the idea of carpe diem, but on second look the symbol of

marriage indicates much more. Marriage as an institution functions in modern society as an indicator that a young person has become an adult and is now a fully functional member of society. Additionally marriage can indicate completion of a whole both spiritually, sexually, and emotionally. Marriage can be a foundation on which to build the next stage of your life on since age will eventually catch up with everyone. Take the time to enjoy the youth you are given, create happiness and joy in your life. However, be wise because once it is all gone, it is lost and gone forever.