carpe diem poems
...en in couplet form. An example of a Carpe Diem poem written in AABB rhyme scheme is Andrew Marvell’s “To His Coy Mistress.” Robert Herrick’s “To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time, is an example of the couplet form. A third variation is that a Carpe Diem poem must have either a comic, satiric, or serious tone. Tom Lehrer uses a comic tone for his carpe Diem poem because of wording such as, “Say you love and trust me / for I know you’ll disgust me / when you’re old and getting fat.” An example of satire is found in Andrew Marvell’s “To His Coy Mistress, which is supported by the words, “Two hundred to adore each breast / but thirty thousand to the rest.” His intent is to be serious, but also to make fun of poets of his time. They would compare a woman’s body to symbolic objects such as a rose. Marvell gives his poem a comic twist, while still giving credit to a woman’s body. An example of a serious Carpe Diem poem is, William Shakespeare’s “Sonnet #73,” which never allows his words to be taken in a satiric or comic way. A fourth variation is that Carpe Diem poems must use imagery to illustrate time passing. Robert Herrick uses shows time passing in the lines, “And this same flower smiles today / tomorrow will be dying,” from the poem, “To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time.” Shakespeare show that three quarters of a year have passed by his words, “When yellow leaves or none, or few do hang,” in “Sonnet #73.” Carpe Diem poems widely vary. Although Carpe Diem poems vary widely, there are certain qualities that must be in a poem for it to be considered a Carpe Diem poem. First, Carpe Diem poems must be written by a male, such as Ben Jonson, author of, “To Celia,” and William Shakespeare, author of, “Sonnet # 73.” Another example is Thomas Champion, author of, “To My Sweet Lesbia.” Second, a male must always address the female sex. This is supported by the poems, “To Celia,” by Ben Jonson, “To My Sweet Lesbia,” by Thomas Champion, and “Corinna’s Going A-Maying,” by Robert Herrick. Next, a Carpe Diem poem must contain the quality of time passing. An example of time passing is in “When you are old and Gray,” when Tom Lehrer says, “When I leave in December / I told you so ...