It is a blessing to those who live today that over the year's men and women have written poetry. In some poetry have been words reminding those who read it of the wonderful world in which they breathe and the necessity to live life. One of the writers of such poetry was Robert Herrick. Herrick used a lyrical style, unappreciated in his day, to write poetry that captured the very essence of carpe diem-to seize the day. Many of his poems were published in a volume entitled Hesperides. The most famous of those poems, is "To the Virgins, to make much of Time." By examining the work of Herrick-"To the Virgins" in particular, his life, and the times he lived in its possible to gain a greater appreciation and understanding of what he was writing about. Specifically the purpose is to examine how Herrick's use of imagery with his words contributes to the lyricism of the poems.
             And this same flower that smiles today
             The glorious lamp of heaven, the sun,
             That age is best which is the first,
             But being spent, the worse, and worst
             For, having lost but once your prime,
             "To the Virgins, to make much of Time" is a poem decidedly representative of the poetry of Herrick. In particular, notice the use of nouns heavy on imagery. Such as "rosebud", "a-flying", "lamp of heaven", and "setting sun." Each of these words and phrases bring to mind specific images.
             This poem was one of the 1,130 in the collection that Herrick had published as part of Hesperides in 1648. "To the Virgins" is representative of many of Herrick's best poetry. It uses extensive imagery, especially with flowers. What it is most representative of it is how it is lyrical. There is ample evidence that Herrick intended many of his poems to be set to music including "To the Vi
             ...