Gather ye rosebuds while ye may

Save This Word!

The first line of the poem “To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time,” from the middle of the seventeenth century, by the English poet Robert Herrick. He is advising people to take advantage of life while they are young:

Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,
Old Time is still a-flying;
And this same flower that smiles today
Tomorrow will be dying.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Words nearby Gather ye rosebuds while ye may

Gath, Gatha, gather, gatherer, gathering, Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, Gathic, Gatineau, gating, Gatlinburg, Gatling

How to use Gather ye rosebuds while ye may in a sentence

I have never been to the Matzo Ball, but I gather the vibes are different.
The Craziest Date Night for Single Jews, Where Mistletoe Is Ditched for Shots|Emily Shire|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Because we all grew up initially thinking it was “God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen.”
Yes, I Like Christmas Music. Stop Laughing.|Michael Tomasky|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Cabinet ministers of the day gather to review the names and the allegations.
The Castration of Alan Turing, Britain’s Code-Breaking WWII Hero|Clive Irving|November 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Willie Nelson and Norah Jones May-December fireplace flirting.
The Most WTF Covers of ‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside,’ Everyone’s Favorite Date-Rape Holiday Classic|Kevin Fallon|November 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST

And who else would let them gather dust in some drawer for nearly 50 years?
Elvis Costello, Marcus Mumford, and Others Crowdsource A Dylan Album|Malcolm Jones|November 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He set down as the second the golden rule, “Whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye even so to them.”
The Giant of the North|R.M. Ballantyne
By a voice he saith: Hear me, ye divine offspring, and bud forth as the rose planted by the brooks of waters.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
Decide about it, ye that are learned in the ethnographic distinctions of our race—but heaven defend us from the Bourbonnaises!
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 372, October 1846|Various
She would sometimes gather them passionately to her heart; she would sometimes forget them.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
She waited for the material pictures which she thought would gather and blaze before her imagination.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin