The Rose

So passeth, in the passing of a day,
Of mortall life the leafe, the bud, the flowre,
Ne more doth flourish after first decay,
That earst was sought to decke both bed and bowre,
Of many a Ladie, and many a Paramowre:
Gather therefore the Rose, whilest yet is prime,
For soone comes age, that will her pride deflowre:
Gather the Rose of love, whilest yet is time, 
Whilest loving thou mayest loved be with equall crime.


From  "The Faerie Queen" by Edmund Spenser (1552 - 1599)





Spenser's words are as true today as they were in Elizabethan times - enjoy life while it lasts!