Carpe Diem

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 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 forever tarry.
~Robert Herrick

*Robert Herrick, the author of this famous poem, was known as a cavalier poet. He lived during a time when people questioned their existence and how to spend their time. The period he lived in was just coming out of the Black Death and there was Civil War in the area. Every day that went by led people to question their impending death, and ask themselves what they should do with their lives right now. They became aware of just how fleeting time really is. The poem is not meant to be depressing or instill fear of death in people's hearts, instead it is a reminder that each passing day is a time when we could have spent doing something remarkable, or shared with the person we love. There are areas in my life where I am restless, and waiting on time becomes frustrating. The idea of time holding something back seems to have become a standard of society. Every ideal is different, and warrants a varying approach. The idea of 'Carpe Diem' and siezing the day seems less prevalent in society today. Seizing the day isn't routine, nor should it always include following the norm. But alas, we are dependent on time; and we are judged within the time frames so chosen by society.

Here we are all, by day; by night, we're hurled
By dreams, each one into a several world.
~Robert Herrick