“To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time”: Robert Herrick’s Urgent Advice

            Robert Herrick’s “To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time” uses strong diction and tone to address young women to choose marriage create clear meanings.  The “carpe diem” meaning promotes marriage as the goal for women of a certain age.  Also, the traditional and patriarchal meaning believes that women should get married if they want to be truly women and be happy. 

Moreover, the speaker looks at the virgins like they are flowers, sensitive and fragile, and urges them to act quickly because “tomorrow will be dying.”  He uses other clear diction to indicate what the virgins should do: “gather ye rose-buds while ye may” (1). In addition to this case, he asserts that for the virgin’s time will be taken away if they do not use it wisely: “But being spent, the worse, and worst” (10). 

Eventually, after describing his deep concerns to the virgins, the speaker reminds the virgins how to use their time to avoid regrets and depresses in the rest of their lives: “for having lost but once your prime” and ”you may nor ever tarry” (15-16).  As the same time he suggests strongly that these virgins are vulnerable, wonderful and have a very short time to seize their happiness; therefore, he advises all virgins to marry soon if they do not want to feel regret.  Based on this advice, the poet’s tone seems so subjective because he thinks that marriage can guarantee the virgins’ happiness.   

Clearly, the speaker chooses words that suggest the speaker is saying that the virgins are vulnerable and fresh.  For example, the poet uses the traditional metaphor of “rose-bud” to metaphor that the virgins are like “rose-buds,” which are not only love and romance, but also young and fragrant.  Also, the diction in the third line seems to personify the flowers can smile and laugh just like a human or a virgin: “And this same flowers that smiles today” (3).  Here, the virgins are a metaphor in the diction, “rose-bud” and “flowers,” to emphasize that the virgins are very sensitive and very young.   The tone of the poet in this first stanza seems that he is worry.  He is worry of the situation of the fragile of the virgins who lack of knowledge to understand about life because they are very young and sensitive.

In the next stanza, the speaker still focuses on some specific diction that emphasizes the speaker is stating that the virgins’ time is wonderful when they can get their soul mates.  For example, the poet invokes: “The glorious lamp of heaven, the sun” (4) as a metaphor that for the sun is a sparkling lamp in heaven, just like the virgins are a sparkling woman in a world.  Also, in this stanza, personification in the line: “The sooner will his race be run” (6) wants to personify the sun can run and race like a human.  The speaker continues to remind the virgins to use their time quickly till they get their loves: “And the nearer he’s to setting” (8).  Therefore, the poet’s tone reminds the virgins to use their time well when it comes to choosing a male to accompany them in spending the rest of their life and do not let the wonderful time passed away. 

The urgent tone of the second stanza continues, the speaker tries to give advice to the virgins that they must take the advantage of their golden time and do not let it becomes distraught. For example, the poet tells us: “when youth and blood are warmer” to emphasize that youth and blood are life, whereas the cold is related to death.  It means that the virgins are in a new and warm life just like a fresh food, so that they must eat their supper soon because soon it will be cold. The poet continues to select strong words to stress his attitude toward the virgins should not let their time becomes severe without any spouse in their life: “But being spent, the worse, and worst” (9).  Based on these strong dictions, the poet’s tone seems to remind the virgins that they have a very short time and should not let it become useless. 

Concisely, the speaker continues to use strong diction to convince the virgins.  He states his other important suggestions to the virgins; how to behave in their short time, and how to avoid their crying because of their faults.  For example, the speaker promotes the words “then be not coy, but use your time” (12) to make the virgins aware to not be shy because they will lose their chance to seize their loves, just be open minded and try to welcome every love that comes to them.  Again, in the next line, the speaker tries to continue to convince the virgins to get marry soon:  “and while ye marry, go marry” (13).  Also, the speaker claims that the virgins must be aware of their youth, which they have only once: “For having lost but once your prime.”  Here, the speaker retells the virgins that their time will never come twice.  Therefore, he wants to make sure that the virgins will not feel lonely and lament in their future life.   The speaker’s attitude toward the virgins is that they should not be shy and must get married to seize their happiness if they do not want to feel regret.  

In short, the poet’s tone toward the virgins is care and concern.  For example, the images of “coy,” “lost,” and “tarry” show the speaker’s care toward the virgins’ time and attitude.  He really cares to the virgins by reminding them that they should not be shy to seize their own happiness.  Also, they should not be lost their valuable chance to grab their truly love.  Other examples, the images of “marry,” and “prime” show the speaker’s concern to the virgins’ lives.  He thinks being married will make the virgins happier than being a single.  He also thinks that the prime time is the only time to get a man. Therefore, the virgins should not be late to get their men when they are in the peak time.  He really cares and concerns on the virgins lives, so he gives them some advice how to make their young, old, and future lives happier.