Carpe diem but don’t translate carpe ‘seize’.


Think of a day as a fruit or a flower
Think of a day as a fruit or a flower
and ‘seize’ at once sounds too grabbing, too rough.
and ‘seize’ at once sounds too grabbing, too rough.
The verb carpo goes with flores, violas, lilia,
The verb carpo goes with flores, violas, lilia,
in Ovid’s Metamorphoses, and in Virgil
in Ovid’s Metamorphoses, and in Virgil
with rosam, poma, violas, papavera.
with rosam, poma, violas, papavera.
Once you’ve taken the sense of snatching away
Once you’ve taken the sense of snatching away
you can simply, less desperately, savour the day. (Tony Harrison)
you can simply, less desperately, savour the day. (Tony Harrison)

3 responses to “Carpe diem but don’t translate carpe ‘seize’.”

  1. THE MOON!!! How gorgeous!!!! I was on the phone with David and he was saying….the moon was just a tiny sliver. Your photos are great! So glad that you were able to capture the tiny sliver of a moon! It’s so cool how the entire moon is lit up like an eclipse. Love it!!

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