Gathering Rosebuds

Sorry for the absence, we've been enjoying the mountains in Colorado. While there I picked up a copy of Hesperides by Robert Herrick (1591-1674). I find his work a little more accessible than that of some of his contemporaries, but even so he can be a little obscure. Herrick was heavily influenced by Ben Johnson. Apparently, at one time he belonged to a group called "The Sons of Ben"! The most famous poem in the book is called "To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time." It carries echoes of Johnson's "Song: To Celia." Both poems remind their readers of the ephemeral quality of life and suggest that, since our time is short, we should make the most of it. What on earth does Herrick mean? Is this a manifesto for lust?

I find this a little odd, given that Herrick was a bachelor, and a minister of the Church of England for thirty two years. There doesn't seem to be any scandal associated with his name whatsoever, and yet the simple implication of the poem seems to be Carpe Diem, or, in plain English, "make hay while the sun shines." This interpretation is not helped by those who insist that double entendres exist throughout the text, and that Herrick's lines are actually rather erotic! I suspect that those who read Herrick in this way may be telling us more about themselves than about the author.

The idea of Carpe Diem comes from Horace's first ode. It is the belief that, since life is brief, one should live in the moment. The most famous line in Herrick's poem is also taken from a Latin original, perhaps by Virgil who, at the conclusion of the poem De Rosis Nascentibus uses the phrase "collige, virgo, rosas," which means "gather, girl, the roses." Could it not be that Herrick is actually trying to do something rather more profound than to urge his readers to "get on with it", as some have suggested! There is more to his philosophy, for example, than Robert Frost's wistful longing in his Carpe Diem. Herrick is interested in reconciling Horace's original idea with his Christian faith. He does not suggest that the brevity of time should lead to licentiousness, but to commitment. The virgins, of whom he writes, are encouraged to marry while they can, not to pursue as many lovers as youth will allow. Is there, perhaps, some longing of his own hidden in the text, the memory of a love long lost, of a young woman who could have been a companion for life, but who slipped through his fingers? Herrick lived through one of the most tumultuous periods of English history - the Civil War. He had seen changes on a scale that must have been unimaginable in his youth. A King had been deposed. The old securities had been swept away. Many lives had been lost. Surely, Herrick understood the need to take opportunities when they came, because one could never be sure what tomorrow would bring.

Today, Carpe Diem is a superficial rallying cry for those who do not wish to think about tomorrow, who are caught up in the headlong rush for instant gratification. For Christians, the phrase can have a deeper meaning. Since no one knows how long life shall last, we should not refrain from commiting to one another. Life is too short to play the field; when we find love, we should not be afraid to "gather it, while we may."

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 to-day
To-morrow 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 for ever tarry.