Gather Ye Rosebuds Poem

The 17th century English poet Robert Herrick is largely remembered today for a single poem, which he first published in 1648. Found among the 1200 poems in his Hesperides is "To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time." Students of poetry often are familiar with this poem by its opening line, "Gather ye rosebuds while ye may." Like many of Herrick's works, this is a carpe diem poem, and Herrick is credited with reviving the genre in the 17th century.

Research papers on the poetry of Herrick often contain topics such as the following:

• Explicate the meaning of the famous line "Gather ye rosebuds while ye may"
• Do a line analysis of the poem "To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time"
• Write a biography of the author, Robert Herrick

The entirety of the first stanza is enough to provide a clear example of the philosophy behind a carpe diem poem.

Gather ye rosebuds while ye may
Old Tine is still a-flying
And this same flower that smiles today
Tomorrow will be dying

Carpe diem, of course, refers to the Latin phrase, first used by Horace in his Odes, and can be translated as "seize the day." This line was used in the film Dead Poets Society.

Herrick's writing style was heavily influenced by Ben Johnson, but Herrick's simple use of language often makes his work far more accessible to modern readers than many other poets from that time. Herrick's philosophy, expressed in "Gather ye rosebuds" often finds a sympathetic ear among those who recognize both the brevity of life and the need to live life to the fullest. The final stanza reminds readers "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."