Gaius Catullus is believed to have been born in Verona in 84 B.C. into a wealthy and well-connected family. He was considered a new-age poet because at that time the large majority of poets composed epic poems, whereas Catullus rejected this idea and instead used everyday language to write about personal experience along with the use of wittiness and intellect.
Carpe Diem is a Latin term meaning “seize the day” or literally translated into “pluck the day”, referring to the gathering of moments like flowers, suggesting the passing quality of life. Other common interpretations for carpe diem include “enjoy the present” and “do not worry about the future”. Carpe Diem poems tend to be more lyrical and loving using sweet, song-like meter all the while expressing bold desires. They also encourage readers to live life to its full potential, always referring to the
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“Give me a thousand kisses, then a hundred, then another thousand, then a second hundred then yet another thousand, then a hundred; then, when we have counted up many thousands”. Not all carpe diem poems instruct, however. Another example of the theme of seizing the day is with the use of youthful love or lust like that between Catullus and Lesbia. The dilemma suggested by carpe diem includes a sense of helplessness and senselessness, sentiments which are often expressed in a poet’s acceptance to a life filled with inexplicable losses and hardships. For instance, Catullus knows that Lesbia is not faithful to him because she is married to someone else yet he still yearns for her and allows himself to get hurt by her actions even though he is not always very forthcoming with his emotions.
In conclusion, carpe diem remains an enduring rhetorical device in poetry because it is a sentiment that possesses an elasticity of