To Daffodils: Robert Herrick

Fair Daffodils, we weep to see 

You haste away so soon; 

As yet the early-rising sun 

Has not attain'd his noon. 

Stay, stay, 

Until the hasting day 

Has run 

But to the even-song; 

And, having pray'd together, we 

Will go with you along. 

We have short time to stay, as you, 

We have as short a spring; 

As quick a growth to meet decay, 

As you, or anything. 

We die 

As your hours do, and dry 

Away, 

Like to the summer's rain; 

Or as the pearls of morning's dew, 

Ne'er to be found again. 

Summary: In this poem, ‘To Daffodil’, the poet Robert Herrick compares human life with the life of daffodils. He is so sad because the life of daffodil is very short. He has struck a note of mourning at the fast dying of daffodils. The poet asks the daffodils to stay until the day ends with the evening prayer. After praying together he wants to go with them because like the daffodils, men also have a very transient life. Men have short spring or youth which ends up very quickly. Their life is as short as the rain of the summer season which comes for a very short time and the dew-drops in the morning which vanish away and never come back.