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Robert Herrick (1591-1674)

To Virgins, to Make Much of Time


              1Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,
              2      Old Time is still a-flying;
              3And this same flower that smiles today,
              4      To-morrow will be dying.

              5The glorious lamp of heaven, the Sun,
              6      The higher he's a-getting;
              7The sooner will his race be run,
              8      And nearer he's to setting.

              9That age is best, which is the first,
            10      When youth and blood are warmer;
            11But being spent, the worse, and worst
            12      Times still succeed the former.

            13Then be not coy, but use your time,
            14      And while ye may, go marry;
            15For having lost but once your prime,
            16      You may for ever tarry.

Online text copyright © 2009, Ian Lancashire (the Department of English) and the University of Toronto.
Published by the Web Development Group, Information Technology Services, University of Toronto Libraries.

Original text: Robert Herrick, Hesperides (London: for John Williams and F. Eglesfield to be sold by Thomas Hunt, 1648), of which a section called "His Noble Numbers: or, his Pious Pieces" has a separate title-page dated 1647. Facs. edn. Menston: Scolar, 1969. PR 3512 H4 1648A ROBA
First publication date: 1648
RPO poem editor: N. J. Endicott
RP edition: 3RP 1.200-01.
Recent editing: 4:2002/2/6

Form: Hymnal Measure (variant)
Rhyme: abab
Form note: Herrick's stanzas vary from true hymnal measure by adding an extra, unstressed syllable at the end of every second line.

Other poems by Robert Herrick

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