To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time
by Robert Herrick
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At a glance:
- Author: Robert Herrick
- First Published: 1648
- Type of Poem: Lyric
- Genres: Poetry, Lyric poetry, Cavalier poetry
- Subjects: Marriage, Virginity or virgins, Flowers, Women, Death or dying, Youth, Time, Aging, Pleasure, Heat
The Poem
“To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time” is a short lyric poem that at first reading seems to be simply a call to young women to enjoy life, particularly its physical pleasures, while they are young.
Robert Herrick is considered one of the circle of poets (sometimes called the “sons of Ben”) that gathered around poet and playwright Ben Jonson in London in the early seventeenth century. Herrick became a country pastor in 1629, but when upon the advent of the English Civil War he remained loyal to his king, he was ousted from his post by the Puritans, who...
(The entire page is 1642 words.)
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Popular Questions
See all »- Who exactly is the speaker in the poem, "To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time"?
- Please explain some of the literary devices in "To the Virgina, Make Much of Time."
- Does Herrick describe the joys of growing old in "To the Virgins,to Make Much of Time"?
- What is the author saying in "To the Virgins to Make Much of Time"?
- What is the structure and form in this poem? Explain.
