Once in one of my college literature classes we were saddled with making a presentation. I chose this carpe diem classic by Robert Herrick:
To the Virgins, to make much of Time
GATHER ye rosebuds while ye may,
Old Time is still a-flying:
And this same flower that smiles to-day
To-morrow will be dying.The glorious lamp of heaven, the sun,
The higher he’s a-getting,
The sooner will his race be run,
And nearer he’s to setting.That age is best which is the first,
When youth and blood are warmer;
But being spent, the worse, and worst
Times still succeed the former.Then be not coy, but use your time,
And while ye may, go marry:
For having lost but once your prime,
You may for ever tarry.
To make my talk more interesting, I distributed a rose to each female class member.
I don’t know what said classmates truly thought of my feature. In hindsight, it may have been a bit of a downer. All carpe diem literature has a depressing element to it (we’re all going to die), but this poem suggests females have an even shorter shelf life (of desirability).
Oh well. At the time it seemed like a good idea to break the monotony of class lectures.