Gather ye rosebuds while ye may

Origin of: Gather ye rosebuds while ye may

Gather ye rosebuds while ye may

Means much the same thing as make hay while the sun shines or take opportunities when they present themselves. “Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, Old Time is still a-flying. And this same flower that smiles today, tomorrow will be dying” was written by Robert Herrick (1591-1674) in his poem, To the Virgins to Make Much of Time. Herrick may have been inspired by the Bible (Apocrypha) The Wisdom of Solomon 1:10, “Let us crown ourselves with rosebuds, before they be withered.”