Wikipedia

Carpe diem

For other uses, seeCarpe diem (disambiguation).

Carpe diemis aLatinaphorism,usually translated "seize the day", taken from book 1 of the Roman poetHorace's workOdes(23 BC).[1]

Asundialinscribedcarpe diem

Translation

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Carpeis thesecond-person singularpresentactiveimperativeofcarpō"pick or pluck" used byHoraceto mean "enjoy, seize, use, make use of".[2]Diemis the accusative ofdies"day". A more literal translation ofcarpe diemwould thus be "pluck the day [as it is ripe]" —that is, enjoy the moment. It has been argued by various authors that this interpretation is closer to Horace's original meaning.[3]Latin scholar andSaint Joseph's Universityprofessor, Maria S. Marsilio points out,carpe diemis ahorticulturalmetaphor that, particularly seen in the context of the poem, is more accurately translated as "plucking the day", evoking the plucking and gathering of ripening fruits or flowers, enjoying a moment that is rooted in the sensory experience of nature.[4]

History

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Sources

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Text fromOdes1.11:

Tu ne quaesieris, scire nefas, quem mihi, quem tibi
finem di dederint, Leuconoe, nec Babylonios
temptaris numeros. ut melius, quidquid erit, pati.
seu pluris hiemes seu tribuit Iuppiter ultimam,
quae nunc oppositis debilitat pumicibus mare
Tyrrhenum. Sapias, vina liques et spatio brevi
spem longam reseces. dum loquimur, fugerit invida
aetas:carpe diem,quam minimum credula postero.

Ask not ('tis forbidden knowledge), what our destined term of years,
Mine and yours; nor scan the tables of yourBabylonish seers.
Better far to bear the future, my Leuconoe, like the past,
WhetherJovehas many winters yet to give, or this our last;
This, that makes theTyrrhenebillowsspend their strength against the shore.
Strain your wine and prove your wisdom; life is short; should hope be more?
In the moment of our talking, envious time has ebb'd away.
Seize the present;trust tomorrow e'en as little as you may.[5]

In ancient literature

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Perhaps the first written expression of the concept is the advice given bySiduritoGilgameshinMesopotamian mythology,telling him to forgo his mourning and embrace life, although some scholars see it as simply urging Gilgamesh to abandon his mourning, "reversing the liminal rituals of mourning and returning to the normal and normative behaviors of Mesopotamian society."[6][7]

Meaning

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InHorace,the phrase is part of the longercarpe diem, quam minimum credula postero,which is often translated as "Seize the day, put very little trust in tomorrow (the future)". The ode says that the future is unforeseen and that one should not leave to chance future happenings, but rather one should do all one can today to make one's own future better. This phrase is usually understood against Horace'sEpicureanbackground.[8]

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Gather Ye Rosebuds While Ye May,byJohn William Waterhouse

Collige, virgo, rosas( "gather, girl, the roses" ) appears at the end of the poem "De rosis nascentibus"[9]( "Of growing roses", also calledIdyllium de rosis) attributed toAusoniusorVirgil.It encourages youth to enjoy life before it is too late; compare "Gather ye rosebuds while ye may" fromRobert Herrick's 1648 poem "To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time".

"De Brevitate Vitae"(" On the Shortness of Life "), often referred to as"Gaudeamus igitur",(Let us rejoice) is a popular academiccommercium song,on taking joy in student life, with the knowledge that one will someday die. It ismedievalLatin, dating to 1287.

Related but distinct is the expressionmemento mori(remember that you are mortal) which carries some of the same connotation ascarpe diem.For Horace, mindfulness of our own mortality is key in making us realize the importance of the moment. "Remember that you are mortal, so seize the day." Over time the phrasememento morialso came to be associated with penitence, as suggested in manyvanitaspaintings. Today many listeners will take the two phrases as representing almost opposite approaches, withcarpe diemurging us to savour life andmemento moriurging us to resist its allure. This is not the original sense of thememento moriphrase as used by Horace.

Contemporary mentions

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In modern English, the expression "YOLO",meaning" you only live once ", expresses a similar sentiment.[10][11]

In the 1989 American filmDead Poets Society,the English teacher John Keating, played byRobin Williams,famously says: "Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary." Later, this line was voted as the95th greatest movie quoteby theAmerican Film Institute.[12]

In theAnimal Crossingseries, messages referencing this phrase can be seen when catching fish. InAnimal CrossingandAnimal Crossing: Wild World,catching aCrucian carpwill result in the message "I caught a crucian carp! Carpe diem!"[13]InAnimal Crossing: New Leaf,catching aCarpwill result in the message "I caught a carp! I really seized the diem!"[14]

TheTerry Pratchettcomic fantasy novelCarpe Jugulumparodies the phrase in its title--instead of seize the day, it translates to "seize the throat".[15]

In 2011 thePhineas and Ferbepisode "Rollercoaster", the musical ended with a song titled "Carpe diem" in which BeforePhineastells Isabella what "Carpe Diem means".

In the 2017 Korean drama seriesChicago Typewriter,the club "Carpe Diem" is owned by Shin Yool and is the scene of revolutionary activities of the Joseon Youth Liberation Alliance spearheaded by Seo Hwi-young.[16]

Social philosopherRoman Krznaricsuggested in his bookCarpe Diem Regained(2017) thatcarpe diemis the answer to consumer cultures schedules, timed work days, consumer culture and planning out our actions over the course of weeks and the weekends, instead of "just do it", with thought experiments for seizing the day rather than placing into calendars.[17][18]

The song "Carpe Diem"byJoker Outwas used to representSlovenia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023.[19]

The acronym DiEM, used by theDemocracy in Europe Movement 2025,alludes to the Latin aphorism.

In the songthe Whole Being Dead ThingfromBeetlejuicethe musical, Beetlejuice sings "We should have carpe’d way more diems / Now we’re never gonna see ‘em!".

See also

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References

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  1. ^Quintus Horatius Flaccus,Carmina,Liber I,CarmenXI(in Latin)
  2. ^Lewis, Charlton T. (1890). "carpō".An Elementary Latin Dictionary.New York, Cincinnati, and Chicago:American Book Company.
  3. ^"How 'Carpe Diem' Got Lost in Translation"by Chi Luu,JStor Daily,7 August 2019.
  4. ^Luu, Chi (2019-08-07)."How" Carpe Diem "Got Lost in Translation".JSTOR Daily.Retrieved2023-04-27.
  5. ^TranslationbyJohn Conington,1882
  6. ^Ackerman, Susan (2005).When Heroes Love: The Ambiguity of Eros in the Stories of Gilgamesh and David.Columbia University Press. pp.130–131.ISBN978-0231132602.
  7. ^Perdue, Leo G. (2009).Scribes, Sages, and Seers: The Sage in the Eastern Mediterranean World: The Sage in the Mediterranean World.Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht. p. 57.ISBN978-3525530832.
  8. ^Harrison, Stephen(2012).The Cambridge Companion to Horace.Cambridge University Press. pp. 154, 168.ISBN978-0-521-83002-7.
  9. ^"De rosis nascentibus"Archived2007-08-11 at theWayback Machinein a collection of the works ofVirgilunder the noteHoc carmen scripsit poeta ignotus(This poem was written by an unknown poet);Bibleotheca Augustana[de],Augsburg University of Applied Sciences
  10. ^"Carpe Diem! How the philosophy of 'seize the day' was hijacked".iNews.2017-04-18.Retrieved2018-03-17.
  11. ^"YOLO | Definition of YOLO in English by Oxford Dictionaries".Oxford Dictionaries | English.Archived fromthe originalon October 2, 2016.Retrieved2018-03-17.
  12. ^"AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes".American Film Institute.Retrieved2015-03-25.
  13. ^"Crucian carp".Nookipedia.2023-12-18.Retrieved2024-03-18.
  14. ^"Carp".Nookipedia.2024-02-11.Retrieved2024-03-18.
  15. ^Carpe Jugulum.
  16. ^"TV Review:Chicago Typewriter(Spoilers!) ".The Kat Cafe.13 September 2018.Retrieved6 June2020.
  17. ^Macdonald, Fiona."What it really means to 'Seize the day'".bbc.Retrieved16 June2019.
  18. ^"Reclaiming carpe diem: How do we really seize the day?byRoman Krznaric,The Guardian,2 April 2017
  19. ^"Slovenia: Joker Out to premiere 'Carpe Diem' on Saturday night!".eurovision.tv.3 February 2023.Retrieved6 February2023.

Sources

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