The remaining torso more than makes up for what the sculpture is lacking. No one knows what the head of the sculpture looked like, but that it must have been majestic. In the text, the poet details the remaining beauty and power of a damaged sculpture missing its head and legs. ‘ Archaic Torso of Apollo’ by Rainer Maria Rilke is another interesting example of a carpe diem poem. These famous opening lines are followed by:Īrchaic Torso of Apollo by Rainer Maria Rilke Once “Time” has made its mark on her, she will be lost to the happy possibilities of life. Therefore, she should “gather rose-buds” or the things in life she needs before time takes over. She will be more appreciated while she is young and beautiful. The poem begins with the speaker stating that a woman should do everything she can while young to take advantage of the love others want to give her. In this case, he’s speaking to women who must “seize the day” before their beauty fades. In the text, Herrick asks a specific reader or group of readers to “seize the day” and make the most of it. ‘ To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time’ is another very well-known example of a carpe diem poem. To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time by Robert Herrick They only have so much time together, and they might as well make the most of it. Marvell was tapping into the tenants of the carpe diem genre of poetry by depicting a speaker encouraging his lover to sleep with him. The unnamed mistress refuses, and his response is to tell her that if he had enough time, he could spend entire centuries admiring her beauty and innocence. It is a beautiful love poem based on a gentleman wooing his mistress, hoping to convince her to sleep with him. Therefore, the relationship between the two things being compared is completely and utterly confused. The poem is based on a conceit or a type of comparison that is made between two objects which are nothing alike. It is also the most commonly cited example of a carpe diem poem. ‘To His Coy Mistress’ is perhaps Marvell’s best-known poem. They might also be directed at someone specific, encouraging them to take any action to better their life.Įxamples of Carpe Diem Poems To His Coy Mistress by Andrew Marvell Carpe diem poems are still written today and are inspired by anything from one’s personal brush with death to someone’s religious vocation. The best-known carpe diem poems were written by the cavalier poets of English King Charles I’s court during the 18th century and the metaphysical poets like Andrew Marvell. They’re generally meant to remind anyone reading the text that life is incredibly short and that everyone is headed towards their inevitable end. Carpe diem, Latin for “seize the day,” is a term used to refer to a genre of poems that seek to inspire readers to make the most of their lives.

Carpe diem definition