John Donne’s poem, ' The Sun Rising,' is one of the earliest examples: The companion piece to the carpe diem poem might well be the aubade, a form in which the poet begs his lover to stay in bed and mourns the rising of the sun because it means that they must part. In reply to Christopher Marlowe’s shepherd, who begged his nymph to 'Come live with me and be my love,' Sir Walter Raleigh let his nymph knowingly reply: The form has inspired both imitations and satires. Perhaps the most famous example is Robert Herrick’s poem, ' To the Virgins, Make Much of Time' where he begins, 'Gather ye rosebuds while ye may.' Another famous example is Andrew Marvell’s argument in ' To His Coy Mistress,' Other arguments range from the existential to the absurd, and poets make their points persistently in an astounding variety of ways, using every metrical and technical device to show off their wit and prowess. The phrase ' carpe diem,' from a quote by Horace, means 'seize the day,' and is often used to describe persuasive poetry designed to convince the object of the poet’s desire to make love-for time is short, as the argument goes, and anything might happen. In the first century BC, Catullus wrote his lyrics to Lesbia, pleading with her to ignore the gossip of old men and instead share thousands of kisses, so many that they lose count:Īnd let us judge all the rumors of the old men Poets have long been using their poems to aid their passionate pursuits.
