To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time

"To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time" is a 1648 poem by the English Cavalier poet Robert Herrick. The poem was first published as number 208 in the verse collection Hesperides. It is directed to young women, urging them, since time is fleeting, to find love and joy in life while they are still young. Benjamin Brawley described it as having a "wistfulness" which "endeared [Herrick] to all later lovers of the beautiful." The first line, "Gather ye Rose-buds while ye may," has been described as amongst the most famous opening lines in English poetry.

1648 text

See also

1648 in poetry Catullus 5 Lady Du Qiu Gondola no Uta To His Coy Mistress

References