To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time, 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 by 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.

poems.one - Robert Herrick

Robert Herrick