The Hesperides & Noble Numbers/Hesperides/To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time
For other versions of this work, see To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time.
208. 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.