“To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time” Summary

“To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time” Themes

• 

  Seizing the Day

  • See where this theme is active in the poem.

Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time”

• Lines 1-2

  Gather ye rose-buds while ye may,
  Old Time is still a-flying;

  

  

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺

• Lines 3-4

  And this same flower that smiles today
  Tomorrow will be dying.

  

  

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺

• Lines 5-8

  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.

  

  

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺

• Lines 9-12

  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.

  

  

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺

• Lines 13-14

  Then be not coy, but use your time,
  And while ye may, go marry;

  

  

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺

• Lines 15-16

  For having lost but once your prime,
  You may forever tarry.

  

  

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺

“To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time” Symbols

• 

  Rosebuds

  • See where this symbol appears in the poem.
• 

  The Sun

  • See where this symbol appears in the poem.

“To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

• Alliteration

  

  

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺
  • See where this poetic device appears in the poem.

• Apostrophe

  

  

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺
  • See where this poetic device appears in the poem.

• Enjambment

  

  

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺
  • See where this poetic device appears in the poem.

• Personification

  

  

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺
  • See where this poetic device appears in the poem.

• Metaphor

  

  

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺
  • See where this poetic device appears in the poem.

• Repetition

  

  

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺
  • See where this poetic device appears in the poem.

• Caesura

  

  

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺
  • See where this poetic device appears in the poem.

“To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time” Vocabulary

Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

• Ye
• A-flying, a-getting
• Succeed
• Coy
• Prime
• Tarry

• • See where this vocabulary word appears in the poem.

Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time”

• Form

• Meter

• Rhyme Scheme

“To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time” Speaker

“To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time” Setting

Literary and Historical Context of “To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time”

More “To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time” Resources

• External Resources

  • Herrick's Memorial — See Robert Herrick's memorial in Poets' Corner at Westminster Abbey—where visitors can find some familiar words in the stained glass.

  • A Musical Version — Hear the poem performed as a song.

  • A Short Biography — Read the Poetry Foundation's background on Robert Herrick, with links to more of his poems.

  • The Poem in Pop Culture — Watch a clip from the movie "The Dead Poets Society," in which Robin Williams famously quotes (and interprets) the poem.

  • A Reading of Another Herrick Poem — Read an analysis of another of Herrick's poems—a rather sweeter one! Readers might compare and contrast the way the two poems deal with love and sex.

• LitCharts on Other Poems by Robert Herrick

  • Delight in Disorder

  • To Daffodils