"To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time" is a poem written by poet Robert Herrick in the 17th century. The poem is in the genre of carpe diem, Latin for seize the day.
the notion of carpe diem is a philosophy that recognizes the brevity of life and, therefore, the need to live for and in the moment. The phrase originates in Horace's Ode 1.11.
John William Waterhouse, Gather Ye Rosebuds While Ye May, 1909, oil on canvas, 100 cm × 83 cm (39.5 in × 32.5 in)
Gather Ye Rosebuds While Ye May is an oil painting on canvas created in 1909 by British Pre-Raphaelite artist, John William Waterhouse. It is the second of two paintings inspired by Robert Herrick's poem "To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time".
The opening line of the poem, "Gather ye rosebuds while ye may", echoes the Latin phrase collige, virgo, rosas ("gather, girl, the roses"), which appears at the end of the poem "De rosis nascentibus", also called "Idyllium de rosis", attributed to Ausonius or Virgil.
translation: Helen Waddell, 1948