To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1648

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Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Background

Literary Context

“To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time” is considered to be a carpe diem poem. In Latin, carpe diem means “seize the day.” These poems can be love poems, and they can also focus on “[t]he fleeting nature of life and the need to embrace its pleasures” ("Carpe diem." Poetry Foundation, 2022). Besides Herrick’s poem, other examples of carpe diem poems are Andrew Marvell’s “To Hs Coy Mistress,” John Donne’s “The Flea,” and “O Me! O Life!” by Walt Whitman. The carpe diem genre was popular during the Renaissance period, and it has survived into contemporary literature as well. Yi Wang, in his article “Carpe Diem Revisited in Poetry, Fiction and Film,” analyzes how Horace first used the term before its appropriation by Renaissance writers. This particular genre spoke directly to the people of the Renaissance, for, as Wang notes,

the 16th and 17th century witnessed great social turbulence and transformation in English history. The seventeenth century, it should be remembered, was not only a period of intense religious and philosophical struggle, but a period of revolutionary scientific and philosophical thought (Wang, Yi. "Carpe Diem Revisited in Poetry, Fiction and Film." Theory and Practice in Language Studies, vol. 10, no. 3, March 2020, Academy Publication, pp. 294-299).

With so much change happening, it would only be natural for individuals to feel lost and uncertain about the future. Wang notes that during this period individuals began to realize “the insignificance and nihility of human life.” The natural response would be for humans to want to seize the present as much as possible as opposed to worrying about an uncertain future.

Authorial Context

As described in the Poet Biography section of this guide, Herrick was ordained in the Anglican Church when he was 32. He then became vicar of Dean Prior in Devon in 1629. With his religious background, some scholars have seen incongruencies between Herrick’s supposed devotion to religion and some of the themes his poems focus on. As T. Ashe describes in his article “Robert Herrick: To a Virgin,” Herrick’s poetry features much “that is trivial, much that is coarse and indecent” (Ashe, T. “Robert Herrick: To a Virgin.” Littel’s Living Age (1844-1896), vol. 157, no. 2031, 26 May 1883, pg. 485).

The message of “To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time” and some of Herrick’s other poems may initially appear to be inappropriate for someone in holy orders. For example, in this particular work the speaker encourages his “virgin” audience to shed their virginity before it is too late. In the speaker’s defense, he does encourage them to “marry” (Line 14) first, as opposed to blatantly encouraging sex outside of marriage. This dual personality and the incongruent messages may make sense given the larger historical context of Herrick’s work. Herrick was removed from his post as vicar at Dean Prior from 1646 until the Restoration in 1660 due to his Royalist sympathies. Living through such turbulent times and being forced from his position at Dean Prior could have greatly influenced Herrick’s carpe diem mentality and encouraged “the satyr side of his nature” (Ashe, T. “Robert Herrick: To a Virgin.” Littel’s Living Age (1844 - 1896), vol. 157, no. 2031, 26 May 1883, pg. 485).