This essay was a school task and I share it with you waiting for your opinion and criticism :)
’carpe diem quam minimum credula postero’
A comparison of two poems on how to live life
The idea of ‘Carpe Diem’ comes from an Italian poet Horace and is often translated as ‘seize the day’. By this he means that we should live for the moment, because life goes on and doesn’t wait for hesitating people. This is a timeless warning embodied in several branches of art; in literature, in music, in painting and so on. Lots of poems deal with the fast wheel of fate trying to encourage people not to miss a chance. This concept holds together ‘Living’ by Denise Levertov and ‘To His Coy Mistress’ by Andrew Marvell, spanning the gap that time could have caused between them.
‘To His Coy Mistress’ was published in 1681 while ‘Living’ about three hundred years later, still their main aim doesn’t differ. Marvell’s poem is about a lover, who tries to convince her lady not to hesitate but to take advantage of the moment, let their love prosper. The whole poem deals with the two of them, not with anybody else even if life as a universality is in the centre. The poet is considered to be one of the metaphysical poets as he makes a comparison between spiritual and physical, using a conceit like in the lines ‘(…)then worms shall try / That long preserved virginity’. By doing this, Marvell not just expresses thoughts vividly but entertains as well. He also uses exaggeration many times in order to be more talking; like when he states a contrast between the greatness of time and the smallness of life of his lady’s and his own one: ‘Two hundred to adore each breast,/
But thirty thousand to the rest;’; ’Thy beauty shall no more be found,/ Nor, in thy marble vault(…)’. This is important, because via these images the poet emphasizes his worry over hurrying time, over missed moments and chances in life and in love. He wants to convince her mistress to be smart and give up resistance, because their life is too short to wait. Those skipped kisses and hugs won’t come back, fate won’t give one more chance.
The poet sets a thesis-antithesis comparison. In the first 20 lines he talks about their possibilities if they had extremely much time, but then comes the antithesis as they are just a raindrop in the ocean of life. After this discussion comes the synthesis: ‘Thus, though we cannot make our sun /Stand still, yet we will make him run.’ This sentence is the conclusion, the idea of ’Carpe Diem’.
’Living’ by Denise Levertov is a much ’simpler’ poem considering the usage of metaphors, instead it is straight to the point, which is not surprising if we are aware of the fact that it was written in the 20th century. It doesn’t address a person, but gives an overall picture of the world, her own concept of the world which is first implied by the title. Levertov uses words in a way that we have no chance to argue with them. She sets statements, unchangeable truths and broadens to the whole life timelessly. The images of nature show continuity and endlessness, then comes a brief statement at the end of each thought. These sentences now refer to people, have no kind overtone, and stand alone without emotions. It is quite important because this way she surprise us somehow, gives a tap on the head saying ‘listen up friend, start to live!’. By ‘each summer the last summer’ she may refer to times of happiness and warns us to make the best of them. ‘Carpe Diem’ is the point again. You can die even now, after which your previous choices are irrevocable.
I would divide this poem into two sections. The first one is an overall picture of life, containing the first two strophes, and then comes the second part which is more personal. Unlike Marvell she talks about everybody using more universal pictures, she wants to tell the elixir to anybody who reads the poem. The poet uses the metaphor of a red salamander which may refer to not just life of anybody, but to her own as well. ‘A red salamander / so cold and so / easy to catch’. We get life so easily that we tend to forget how big a gift it is. We just live it and count the days and don’t fear of death, don’t fear of emptiness. ‘(…)I hold /my hand open for him to go.’ This line is the essence of the poem as Levertov is ready to let this red salamander go. But is it because she doesn’t enjoy life anymore? I don’t think so. Instead, to the best of my belief she is one of those people who takes advantage of every moment. She lives her life not just owns it. That’s why she is ready in each and every moment to let it go, because it was worthy, it was a whole. There is another thing which refers to the idea of ‘Carpe Diem’, which is the title itself. If it was ‘Life’ it meant a constant thing, an overall concept. Instead it is ‘Living’ which emphasizes that it has an end, so let’s march at attention.
Both Andrew Marvell and Denise Levertov plead the most important thing in life, which is ‘Carpe Diem’. It is not an idea, a movement or a silly theory, it should be the essence of mankind. Marvell addresses her mistress trying to make her come round but I think he broadens his idea to all the people in love (and maybe encourages the rest of them to be in love). Levertov doesn’t use long metaphors but her words work as if they were pills to take. The two poets are not jinxes with dark thoughts in their minds but doctors, philosophers and mentors of us. Because an empty life doesn’t worth living neither in the 17th century, nor in the 20th one.
