![John William Waterhouse - Gather Ye Rosebuds While Ye May [1908]](http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5606/15355625417_9f7624e05d_o.jpg)
Based on a poem by Robert Herrick (1591-1674) To Virgins to Make Much of Time.
Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,
Old Time is still a-flying;
And this same flower that smiles today,
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.
[Private Collection - Oil on canvas, 61.6 x 45.7 cm]