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THE CARPE DIEM POEM
The following two poems from the 1600s represent similar situations: In each, a male speaker addresses a female auditor whom he desires. The poems belong to the tradition of carpe diem (Latin for “seize the day”) because the speaker is urging his auditor, his lover, to enjoy pleasures now, before they die. The woman is resisting because of her concern for chastity or social rules. The action of these poems is implied in the shifts in what the speaker is saying.
 
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