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Friday, July 3, 2009

CARPE DIEM

'Gather ye rosebuds while ye may' - John William Waterhouse, 1909

Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,
Old Time is still a-flying;
And this same flower that smiles today,
Tomorrow will be dying.

Robert Herrick 1648

13 comments:

The Clever Pup said...

Hi Ladybug

I'm so behind in my reading. I've been with my mother for a couple of weeks.

I love Waterhouse and Herrick is a great poet.
I like Upon Julia's Clothing and his other gently saucy poems.

alaine@éclectique said...

Hi Hazel, Thanks for dropping in and hope you had a great visit with your Mum.

Haha, yes, he was wicked and I do get what he was about with 'gather ye rosebuds' but thought I'd be a bit more ladylike with the seize the day tag. At my age I can read just this verse as motivational, to squeeze in as much as I can, as time is not on my side!

Tess Kincaid said...

Love this Waterhouse piece. Carpe diem!

alaine@éclectique said...

Hello Willow! And the same to you when you wake up and Happy 4th July! I see it's well after midnight there; nearly 11am here on the 4th.

T. said...

I love Waterhouse's work; thanks for bringing him to mind this morning. Years ago, my late husband gave me some earrings which were tiny frames with a Waterhouse image in each -- treasures!

Susan said...

That is a beautiful painting! I'm not familiar with Waterhouse, but I will go check him out.

Gather ye rosebuds is a poem my mother quoted a lot.

Delwyn said...

Hi Alaine

Perfect...

I have always loved this poem since when taught it at high school (but without any sexual innuendo...)I went to a prim girls' school...
This painting is so lovely - I have another one of a dark headed girl in profile that transports me- am going to have to look it out now...

Happy days

alaine@éclectique said...

T, a beautiful treasure to remember your husband.

Susan, you must, he was part of Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, a group of English painters, poets and critics in the mid 19th Century - they produced some beautiful works.

Delwyn, that sounds intriguing, I'd love to know more!

Unknown said...

Hello Alaine,

I'm sure we all do try to sieze the day but can't quite manage it all the time! And I much prefer to take Mr Herrick literally, without the smut!

Sunny but not quite as hot today! Hope you enjoyed your walk in the rain.

alaine@éclectique said...

Sixth reload and the Comment Box opens for me! Yes, we can do without the smut!

Well, how our days change; glad you're getting a respite. And I woke up to a glorious, sunny winter morning. Another walk after I get the slow cooker going. Today's dish is Creamy Chicken Stew - recipe says to serve with rice or pasta but I'll do couscous & steamed broccoli.

FireLight said...

Alaine, thank you for the gorgeous Waterhouse and reminder from Herrick...a lovely pairing! (I did actually gather two roses early this morning.)

alaine@éclectique said...

Hello Firelight and thank you for visiting. I miss my roses in Winter; I've just finished pruning mine.

I have a framed cross-stitch I did many years ago hanging in our guest bathroom which reads "Gather the Roses of Life Today".

What I like about the above pairing is that the poem was written in 1648 and, well over two centuries later, Waterhouse has recalled it and put some life to the words.

Ruthie Redden said...

beautiful poem, i am printing it out & putting it on my noticeboard so i see it & remember every day!