Student Question
How does "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love" express the philosophy of carpe diem?
Carpe diem is Latin for "seize the day": meaning take full advantage of present opportunities. This sentiment is found not only in classical literature but in much of English literature as well (e.g., "Gather ye rosebuds while ye may" and "Had we but world enough, and time, / This coyness, Lady, were no crime").
Quick answer:
The poem illustrates the carpe diem philosophy through the shepherd's plea for his beloved to seize the moment and live with him. He presents immediate, enticing reasons for her to make a life-altering decision without hesitation. However, the challenge lies in his lover's immortality, rendering time irrelevant for her. Thus, she is unlikely to be swayed by his temporal, earthly offerings such as beds of roses or decorative belts, highlighting the tension between mortal urgency and immortal indifference.
The poem is an example of the genre in that the passionate shepherd is encouraging his lover to seize the moment and make the fateful decision to be with him forever. There's no sense in which he wants her to think things over. As far as he's concerned, he's given her every possible reason to make this life-changing decision and doesn't see why she should hesitate a moment longer.
The problem for the shepherd, of course, is that his lover is immortal, and so time means nothing to her. She can take as long as she likes; there is no moment for her to seize. And, as an immortal nymph, it's unlikely that she'll be impressed by all the earthly goods that the shepherd has to offer her—from the beds of roses to a belt of straw and ivy buds adorned with coral clasps and amber studs.
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