Home > To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time Summary & Study Guide > Text of the Poem

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Gather ye Rose-buds while ye may,
Old Time is still a flying:
And this same flower that smiles to day,
To morrow will be dying.

The glorious Lamp of Heaven, the Sun,          5
The higher he’s a getting;
The sooner will his Race be run,
And neerer he’s to Setting.

That Age is best, which is the first,
When Youth and Blood are warmer;             10
But being spent, the worse, and worst
Then be not coy, but use your time;

And while ye may, goe marry:
For having lost but once your prime,            15
You may for ever tarry.

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Summary and Analysis – Themes – Characters – And much more...

1. To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time: Introduction
2. To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time: Text of the Poem
3. To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time: Summary
4. To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time: Robert Herrick Biography
5. To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time: Themes
6. To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time: Style
7. To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time: Historical Context
8. To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time: Critical Overview
9. To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time: Essays and Criticism
   1. The Passing of Time as a Threat
   2. Carpe Diem Theme
   3. Herrick's Employment of Carpe Diem
   4. Cleanly-Wantonnesse and This Sacred Grove: Themes of Love
10. To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time: Compare and Contrast
11. To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time: Topics for Further Study
12. To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time: Media Adaptations
13. To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time: What Do I Read Next?
14. To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time: Bibliography and Further Reading
15. To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time: Pictures
16. Copyright