GATHER ye rosebuds while ye may,

The poem has a very simple rhyming pattern of ABAB. This means that the poem is fluid and rhythmic. The tone is happy and upbeat due to this simple rhyme.

The poem acts as almost a piece of advice to the youth of our world; this advice is a clear message to tell young people to make the most of life.

The first line of the poem gives us an image of a flower. This image makes the poem soft straight from the start. The flower gives a young image in my head that shows youth. The second line means that you lose your good looks when you grow old. We see another image of a flower in line three and four when it says "And this same flower that smiles today, tomorrow will be dying." This line means that you do not have long to get a partner and have a family because you will lose your good looks and no one will want you. Again the flower shows the image a young person.

The second paragraph is one big metaphor "The glorious lamp of heaven, the sun, the higher he's a-getting, the sooner will his race be run, And nearer

He's to setting." This metaphor refers to the sun dying down and becoming old. It means that when the sun is at mid-day this is equivalent to the peak of our lives, the part of our lives when we have best chance of getting a partner.

In the third paragraph is says: "That age is best which is the first, when youth and blood are warmer; but being spent, the worse and worst times still succeed the former". This basically means again that youth die and your looks get worse when you grow older.

Finally the last paragraph sums up the whole poem to put across the clear message "Then be not coy, but use your time, and while ye may go marry: For having lost but once your prime you may for ever tarry". This means don't make a mess whilst you have the chance of looking young. Marry whilst you are in your prime or you may never marry again.

The rhyme or rhythm of the poem is Iambic tetrameter. This means that there is the pattern of Ta-TUM-Ta-TUM-Ta-TUM. If you read the poem by overdoing the emphasis on the words you can clearly see the pattern.

For example:

GATHer ye ROSEbuds WHILE ye MAY,

old TIME is STILL a-FLYING:

And THIS same FLOWER that SMILES to-DAY

To-MORrow WILL be DYING.

We can clearly see the iambic tetrameter from this example. The whole poem can be read like this.

The writer's intension of this poem is to warn or advise the youth to marry quickly before it is too late. The tone or mood of the poem is light hearted with a growing hint of seriousness, this seriousness is the fact that it is about your life and which path you choose, whether to marry whilst in your prime or to miss your prime all-together.