Carpe diem

Translation

Carpe is the second-person singular present active imperative of carpō "pick or pluck" used by Horace to mean "enjoy, seize, use, make use of".{{cite book

History

Sources

Text from Odes 1.11:

In ancient literature

Perhaps the first written expression of the concept is the advice given by Siduri to Gilgamesh in Mesopotamian 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."

Meaning

In Horace, the phrase is part of the longer carpe 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's Epicurean background.{{Cite book

Related expressions

Collige, virgo, rosas ("gather, girl, the roses") appears at the end of the poem "De rosis nascentibus" ("Of growing roses", also called Idyllium de rosis) attributed to Ausonius or Virgil. It encourages youth to enjoy life before it is too late; compare "Gather ye rosebuds while ye may" from Robert 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 academic commercium song, on taking joy in student life, with the knowledge that one will someday die. It is medieval Latin, dating to 1287.

Related but distinct is the expression memento mori (remember that you are mortal) which carries some of the same connotation as carpe 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 phrase memento mori also came to be associated with penitence, as suggested in many vanitas paintings. Today many people will take the two phrases as representing almost opposite approaches, with carpe diem urging us to savour life and memento mori urging us to resist its allure. This is not the original sense of the memento mori phrase as used by Horace.

Contemporary mentions

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

In the 1989 American film Dead Poets Society, the English teacher John Keating, played by Robin Williams, famously says: "Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary." Later, this line was voted as the 95th greatest movie quote by the American Film Institute. (the line in this context is grammatically incorrect: when addressed to "boys" in the plural, the phrase ought to be "carpite diem".)

In the season 2 finale of Phineas and Ferb titled "Rollercoaster: The Musical!", the episode closes with a song titled "Carpe Diem".

In the 2012 album ¡Uno! by Green Day, the third track is titled "Carpe Diem".

In the 2017 Korean drama series Chicago 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.

Social philosopher Roman Krznaric suggested in his book Carpe Diem Regained (2017) that carpe diem is 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.

The song "Carpe Diem" by Joker Out was used to represent Slovenia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023.

References

Sources

References

1. Quintus Horatius Flaccus, [[s:la:Carmina (Horatius)/Liber I/Carmen XI. ''Carmina'', Liber I]], [[Carmen (verse). Carmen]] XI {{in lang. la
2. [https://daily.jstor.org/how-carpe-diem-got-lost-in-translation/ "How 'Carpe Diem' Got Lost in Translation"] by Chi Luu, ''JStor Daily'', 7 August 2019.
3. Luu, Chi. (2019-08-07). "How "Carpe Diem" Got Lost in Translation".
4. [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=urn:cts:latinLit:phi0893.phi001.perseus-eng1:1.11 Translation] by [[John Conington]], 1882
5. Ackerman, Susan. (2005). "When Heroes Love: The Ambiguity of Eros in the Stories of Gilgamesh and David". Columbia University Press.
6. Perdue, Leo G.. (2009). "Scribes, Sages, and Seers: The Sage in the Eastern Mediterranean World: The Sage in the Mediterranean World". Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht.
7. [http://www.fh-augsburg.de/~Harsch/Chronologia/Lsante01/Vergilius/ver_apro.html "{{Lang. la. De rosis nascentibus. link. (2007-08-11 in a collection of the works of [[Virgil]] under the note {{Lang). la. Hoc carmen scripsit poeta ignotus (This poem was written by an unknown poet); {{Interlanguage link. Bibleotheca Augustana. de, [[Augsburg University of Applied Sciences]]
8. (2017-04-18). "Carpe Diem! How the philosophy of 'seize the day' was hijacked". iNews.
9. "YOLO {{!}} Definition of YOLO in English by Oxford Dictionaries".
10. "AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes". [[American Film Institute]].
11. "Latin verb 'carpo' conjugated". Verbix.
12. PyF Chiapas. (2013-04-24). "Phineas and Ferb - Carpe Diem".
13. "¡UNO! {{!}} Discography".
14. (13 September 2018). "TV Review: ''Chicago Typewriter'' (Spoilers!)".
15. "What it really means to 'Seize the day'".
16. [https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/apr/02/reclaming-carpe-diem-how-we-really-seize-the-day "Reclaiming carpe diem: How do we really seize the day?] by [[Roman Krznaric]], ''[[The Guardian]]'', 2 April 2017
17. (3 February 2023). "Slovenia: Joker Out to premiere 'Carpe Diem' on Saturday night!".