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 ˇ°seize the dayˇ±) 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.