Carpe Diem
Poetry:
Seize the Day!
Carpe Diem
 Literally
means, “pluck the day” as in
“plucking” or pulling flowers
 Get
it? Gather moments in life like you
would gather flowers?
 But
remember, these moments don’t last
long; flowers cut off from the roots die
soon…
Origins

Attributed to the ancient Roman poet Horace, 65
B.C.E.
 Composed a book of poems entitled “Odes”
Scale back your long hopes
to a short period. While we
speak, time is envious and
is running away from us.
Seize the day, trusting
little in the future.
Other Versions of This Same Theme
 “Eat,
drink, and be merry, for
tomorrow we will die.” --biblical
reference (Isaiah)
 "collige,
virgo, rosas" appears in a
Virgil (another classical Roman
poet) poem, meaning "gather, girl,
the roses."
Carpe Diem Defined…
What
is the original purpose of
language? (Answer this on
your notebook paper.)
Carpe Diem Defined…
 Right!
 Woo
To woo women…
means to convince or
persuade; in the Renaissance,
the purpose of a carpe diem
poem was to persuade a young
woman to make love…
Carpe Diem (poetic sense)
A
poem intended to
persuade a young woman
to become a lover by
convincing her that time
(and most usually her
beauty) is fleeting (quickly
disappearing).
Another Approach…
 “Other
approaches to carpe diem
encourage the reader to
transcend the mundane,
recognize the power of each
moment, however brief, and value
possibility for as long as
possibility exists.”—Academy of
American Poets
Modern/Contemporary Approach
 Because
carpe diem begins with
the premise that life is short,
modern readers see this as
“possibility” but also “futility”
(pointlessness)
Existentialism
 In
the literary world, when life is
seen as pointless and useless,
we have entered the school of
existential thought (existentialism)
 Life
in this world is a big “so
what?” Life is short and doesn’t
matter, so “who cares?”
Grown Up Definition
 The
existential dilemma
suggested by carpe diem includes
a sense of helplessness and
senselessness, sentiments which
are often expressed in a poet's
resignation to a life filled with
inexplicable losses and
hardships.—Academy of
American Poets
Renaissance Carpe Diem
 Let’s
begin in the Renaissance with Robert
Herrick’s poem, “To the Virgins, to Make
Much of Time.”
“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 today
To-morrow will be dying.
“To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time”
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.
“To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time”
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.
“To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time”
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.
Explain the idea of carpe diem
in this poem.