The Carpe Diem Poem

 

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.