‘ Carpe Diem‘ has ‘Age’ personified and observes a young couple in love. 14 ‘A Psalm of Life‘ by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.12 ‘A Shropshire Lad 2: Loveliest of Trees, The Cherry Now’ By A.
Often used in Love poems, it encourages the lovers/beloved to live the moments at hand, even by breaking the laws, as in Andrew Marvell’s “To His Coy Mistress” and many other poems. The poet says “collige, virgo, rosas” which means “gather, girl, the roses.” He encourages the young woman to enjoy life and the freedom of youth before it passes.Ĭarpe Diem poems aim to instruct the readers or make them understand/celebrate the present than focusing on the past or future. Even before Horace has used the phrase, the sentiment was expressed at the close of the poem “De rosis nascentibus,” attributed to both Ausonius and Virgil. There are many poets who have responded to this sentiment by using “living in the moment” in different contexts. Seize the day, trusting/little in the future.”
The Roman poet Horace has the credit of using the phrase for the first time in his “ Odes.” In this long series of poems composed in 65 B.C.E., he writes “time is envious and/is running away from us. In literature “Carpe Diem” remains an enduring rhetorical device, especially in poetry. It encourages people to focus on the present, appreciate the value of every moment in life. “ Carpe diem” is a Latin phrase that means “pluck the day” or “seize the day”.