Carpe Diem

[Tinker]

Explore the Craft of Writing Poetry
Latin Verse

Carpe Diem is a secular genre of verse named for the famous phrase from Horace's Ode II, "carpe diem", Latin - seize the day. The genre focuses thematically on the moment. It can be found in the voice of a lover coaxing his lady love to "grasp the moment" or a call to arms. The frame is at the discretion of the poet although I did find a framed invented form at Poetry Styles which is described below.

Probably one of the best known "carpe diem" poems is Robert Herrick's Gather ye rose-buds framed in Hymnal Measure.

Gather ye rose-buds 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.

Monday by Judi Van Gorder -------"Seize the day!" -----------Horace 20 BC Break the silence of chatter by listening. The words you speak should be your finest poem. Touch the ones you love as if yesterday was a dream and tomorrow is just a word. The moment is not then or when but now.

• Carpe Diem, a more recent invented verse form and composed around the theme of “seize the day” was found at Poetry Styles, introduced by Pat Simpson.  The elements of the invented form Carpe Diem are:
  1. a decastich, a poem in 10 lines.
  2. syllabic, 8-2-4-2-10-2-7-6-8-10 syllables per line.
  3. unrhymed.
  4. composed around the theme, "seize the day".