Carpe diem: seizing the moment in classical literature

Carpe Diem -- Seize the Day!

The poems "To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time" and "To His Coy Mistress" are both rhetorical attempts by a man to woo a woman's heart and body. The openly self-interested and carnal nature of Andrew Marvell's plea is perhaps best expressed in the lines: "The grave's a fine and private place, / but none I think do there embrace." Herrick's plea is chaster: "Then be not coy, but use your time, / and, while ye may, go marry." However, despite the evident self-interest in the authors' intent of convincing the young women they address not to "tarry," as Herrick says, in enjoying and expressing their sexuality with a man, both poems contain a deeper truth about the short nature of human existence and the inexorable passage of time.

To 'carpe diem' or seize the day, every day, does not mean that people should simply while away the hours, doing whatever they please. Instead, it means that whenever a person gets out of bed every morning, he or she should say: "Old time is still a-flying." At the end of the day, as Herrick continues in his poem,: "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." In other words, by the end of the day, no matter what a person does, he or she will be older. So everyone should ask: 'Will I squander this day, sleeping late, not learning anything new? Or will I pass the day simply doing what I have to do, grinding through school, and ignoring the day's beauty, and the opportunity to learn new things? Do I want to make the most of every hour, carefully paying attention in math class so I can get a good grade and have an exciting life in college? Do I want to give my all in track practice, so I feel fitter and stronger? Instead of watching television when I get home, maybe I should do something I have never done before, like playing with a neighborhood child and teaching that child something new.' Seizing the day is not just about pleasure, because by living for the moment and making the moment count, the future will be better. People who learn, and show compassion towards others and enjoy the sunshine will have better next days, and days after -- and more attempts for happy and fulfilling moments of carpe diem.

Of course, some days you feel tired, and you do not want to fully engage with life. But that is why it is so important to take advantage of the benefits of youth. Herrick says: 'That age is best which is the first, / When youth and blood are warmer;" pointing out that desire is sharper when people are young. This may be true about sexual desire, but it is also true about other kinds of desire. When you are young, you have more energy as you to start a new business, try a new sport, and meet new people. When you are young and see an older person with health problems, you should think of all the things they would be doing if they too could carpe diem with as much joy and vigor as you. They too would like to begin a new enterprise. They would not procrastinate (like you may be doing right now, thinking of the paper you have to write), but maximize the joy of their every last second on earth, accomplishing things and learning new things. Plus, the more you act like a healthy young person, the longer you will remain healthy in body and young in spirit.

But, as Andrew Marvell observes, too often we act as though: "...we [had] but world enough, and time," in other words that because we are young we feel we have all the time in the world. The "coyness," Marvell reproaches in his lady, is about his desire, but coyness could also be a modern word for procrastination. We procrastinate about when we are going to start our next diet or fitness program, when we will learn a new language or a new skill, and it is truly a "crime" that we waste our finite time upon the earth.

Yes, we might feel we "deserve this state" a little longer, and want to have more time on earth, like Marvell's mistress. But he acknowledges (insincerely) that although the lady deserves a long and wordy courtship, full of words about her beauty, eyes, wit, forehead, and honor, he is mortal. Because we all are mortal, and pass into dust, we do not have the luxury of NOT seizing the day. Marvell reminds his mistress that the "iron gates of life" await all human beings. Indeed, it is sobering to reflect that Marvell, the mistress he wrote the poem for long ago, Robert Herrick and the maidens he saw making much of time and all the people they knew and loved are now dead in churchyards, rotting in the ground. They are not embracing, but turning into "ashes" and "dust" rather than enjoying "lust" in Marvell's memorable words. Only the poems live on, urging the reader to do the same, and make the most of existence.

While it is easy to think of the only ways that Marvell and Herrick seized the day was enjoying the company of women, clearly they did not procrastinate about writing and learning about poetry, either. Because they acted on their inspiration, both the inspiration of their desire to write verse and to enjoy the pleasure of pretty women, they are immortal. Everyone has different desires -- some people are professionally ambitious, some people want to live more exciting and fulfilling lives. But their example and urge to enjoy life physically and intellectually is a lesson to us all. Although both men sought out pleasure, they also made the most of their craft with zest and passion.

Both Herrick's and Marvell's poems make frequent reference to the sun, showing that both men were keen observers and enjoyers of nature. The sun rises every day, and sets, and its progress is eternal, and time marches on eternally. The sun will one day die, but it will likely live longer than any human being on this earth today, even someone born today. Marvell says: "Thus, though we cannot make our sun/Stand still, yet we will make him run," in other words, since people cannot stop time, at least they can enjoy time, and make time seem fast by packing every moment with meaningful activities.