Carpe diem

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For other uses, see Carpe diem (disambiguation).

Carpe diem is a phrase from a Latin poem by Horace (Odes 1.11). It is commonly translated "seize the day", though a more accurate translation might be "pluck the day".

One interpretation of the phrase might be as an existential cautionary term, much like "eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die" with emphasis on making the most of current opportunities because life is short and time is fleeting. It has some connections with another Latin phrase, Memento mori.

Tu ne quaesieris, scire nefas, quem mihi, quem tibi Leuconoe, don't ask — it's forbidden to know —
finem di dederint, Leuconoe, nec Babylonios what end the gods will give me or you. Don't play with Babylonian
temptaris numeros. ut melius, quidquid erit, pati. fortune-telling either. Better just deal with whatever comes your way.
seu pluris hiemes seu tribuit Iuppiter ultimam, Whether you'll see several more winters or whether the last one
quae nunc oppositis debilitat pumicibus mare Jupiter gives you is the one even now pelting the rocks on the shore with the waves
Tyrrhenum: sapias, vina liques et spatio brevi of the Tyrrhenian sea--be smart, drink your wine. Scale back your long hopes
spem longam reseces. dum loquimur, fugerit invida to a short period. Even as we speak, envious time
aetas: carpe diem quam minimum credula postero. is running away from us. Take hold of the day, for in the future you can believe the minimum.

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[edit] Related expressions

The phrase is often extended to explicitly mention the possibility of imminent death, as in "Seize the day, for tomorrow you may die."

Along the same theme, and evoking some of the same imagery as the poem, is the expression "Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die", which derives from Biblical verses (such as Isaiah 22:13), and which occurs many times in modern English-language popular culture.

Related but distinct is the expression memento mori, "remember that you are mortal"; indeed, memento mori is often used with some of the sense of carpe diem. However, two major elements of memento mori are humility and repentance, neither of which figures prominently in the concept of carpe diem.

[edit] In literature

  • This idea was popular in 16th and 17th-century English poetry, for example in Robert Herrick's To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time, which begins "Gather ye rosebuds while ye may" [1]. It is interesting to note that the following Chinese couplet attributed to a poetess in the Tang Dynasty, which has entered the realm of proverbs, strikingly resembles Herrick's line: "Pluck the flower when it has blossomed; don't wait until there are no flowers with only branches to break."
  • This theme is also recalled in the verses of English Victorian poet Tennyson, and in Andrew Marvell's famous To His Coy Mistress.
  • The 'O mistress mine' song sung by the clown in Act II, Scene iii of William Shakespeare's play Twelfth Night has been referred to as having the spirit of 'Carpe diem' in it because of the line 'Youth's a stuff will not endure', amongst others.
  • "Carpe diem" is also used to denote the theme of Christopher Marlowe's "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love".[2]
  • In the modern poem "You Would" by A. Kefalas, the phrase is used in reference to seizing the day: "Carpe diem, damnit."
  • Saul Bellow's Novella Seize the Day deals with this idea of living for the moment vs. worrying about the future.
  • The phrase "Carpe diem" inspired the title of Terry Pratchett's 1998 book Carpe Jugulum.[3]
  • Title of a story by Argentinian writer Abelardo Castillo in the volume "Las maquinarias de la noche", (1992).
  • In Joanne Harris's "Gentlemen and Players", the phrase is used such that a character probably thinks that "Carpe Diem" means a fish supper.
  • Robert Frost wrote a poem entitled "Carpe Diem", and many of his poems have themes of Carpe Diem.
  • The title of Dean Koontz novel Seize the Night is derived from the paraphrase Carpe Noctum.
  • Carpe Diem is the name of a book in Liaden series by Steve Miller and Sharon Lee.
  • Carpe Diem is also the name of a book authored by Tony Campolo.

[edit] On television

[edit] In movies

  • "Carpe Diem! Seize the day, lads! Make your lives extraordinary!" was used in the hit movie, "Dead Poets Society", a film that explores the idea of "Carpe Diem" from the viewpoint of a classroom of young men at an all boys boarding school. It is said by Robin Williams' character, Professor Keating, in the hope that the students will learn to do what they want to do. The film explores the various ways in which the students seize the day and the consequences they face.
  • The phrase also appears, albeit less prominently, in a number of other movies, such as Clueless, Torque, Waiting..., and Out Cold.

[edit] In music

  • A number of songs are titled "Carpe Diem", including songs by Bigod 20, Nena, Will Haven, Jin, YeLLOW Generation, The Nerve Agents, and Elena Paparizou. Other songs include the phrase in their titles, such as Metallica's "Carpe Diem Baby". The phrase is also the title of some albums, such as one by Lara Fabian.
  • In addition to songs that use the phrase in their titles, there are many that include the phrase in their lyrics, such as Dream Theater's "A Change of Seasons" (which makes reference to Robert Herrick's poem "To the Virgins, to make much of Time"), Zebrahead's "Anthem", Sentenced's "Neverlasting", and Sonata Arctica's "Don't Say a Word". Blue Öyster Cult has a song, "Siege and Investiture of Baron Von Frankenstein's Castle At Wisseria", in which Carpe Diem is chanted in the background during the chorus.
  • Likewise, a number of songs are titled "Seize the Day", including songs by Freya and Avenged Sevenfold, or include the phrase in their lyrics; indeed, many songs include both "carpe diem" and "seize the day" in their lyrics. Similarly, The Dave Matthews Band's "Trippin Billies" includes the phrase "Eat drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die" in its lyrics.

[edit] Others

  • A variation of the phrase, Carpe Viam ("Seize the Road"), is the motto of the online running club Dead Runners Society.
  • The popular school paper in La Chataigneraie, Switzerland, is called Carpe Diem.
  • The Carpe Diem Trust is a charity aimed at helping ordinary people to 'seize the day' and achieve something extraordinary.[4] [5]
  • NBA superstar Kobe Bryant's recent number change to #24 (24 hours in a day, 24 minutes in an NBA half, 24 seconds on the shot clock, etc.) includes a new logo featuring his initials, the number and "Carpe Diem".
  • When a fisher catches a carp in the video game Animal Crossing, the player comments "Carp diem!"
  • A popular nightclub in Hvar is named "Carpe Diem".
  • Popular Australian cricketer Michael Clarke and Rohan Venkatraman have a tattoo on their forearm which reads "Carpe Diem".
  • Carpe Diem is also the name of a botantic water drink produced by the UK arm of the Red Bull Company Ltd.
  • Carpe Diem is also the name of a public house in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.
  • FoxTrot, by Bill Amend, often uses the term in its strips.
  • The theme of the 2007 National Junior Classical League convention is "Carpe Diem, Quam Minimum Credula Postero."
  • It is the motto of Audenshaw Grammar school and Lance Armstrong
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