Robert Herrick Quotes

Robert Herrick pens gentle, vivid verses on nature, love and time.

58 quotes

1. Here a little child I stand Heaving up my either hand. Cold as paddocks though they be, Here I lift them up to Thee, For a benison to fall On our meat, and on us all.

2. Fair pledges of a fruitful tree, Why do ye fall so fast? Your date is not so past But you may stay yet here awhile To blush and gently smile, And go at last.

3. I sing of brooks, of blossoms, birds, and bowers: Of April, May, of June, and July flowers. I sing of Maypoles, Hock-carts, wassails, wakes, Of bridegrooms, brides, and of their bridal cakes.

4. What is a kiss? Why this, as some approve: The sure, sweet cement, glue, and lime of love.

5. Bid me to live, and I will live Thy Protestant to be, Or bid me love, and I will give A loving heart to thee.

6. Bid me despair, and I'll despair, Under that cypress tree; Or bid me die, and I will dare E'en Death, to die for thee.

7. Cherry ripe, ripe, ripe, I cry, Full and fair ones; come and buy! If so be you ask me where They do grow, I answer, there, Where my Julia's lips do smile; There's the land, or cherry-isle.

8. It is the end that crowns us, not the fight.

9. Some asked me where the rubies grew, And nothing I did say; But with my finger pointed to The lips of Julia.

10. Some asked how pearls did grow, and where? Then spoke I to my girl To part her lips, and showed them there The quarelets of pearl.

11. Fall on me like a silent dew, Or like those maiden showers Which, by the peep of day, do strew A baptism o'er the flowers.

12. A sweet disorder in the dress Kindles in clothes a wantonness.

13. A winning wave, deserving note, In the tempestuous petticoat, A careless shoestring, in whose tie I see a wild civility, Do more bewitch me than when art Is too precise in every part.

14. You say to me-wards your affection's strong; Pray love me little, so you love me long.

15. Night makes no difference 'twixt the Priest and Clerk; Joan as my Lady is as good i' the dark.

16. Give me a kiss, and to that kiss a score; Then to that twenty, add a hundred more: A thousand to that hundred: so kiss on, To make that thousand up a million. Treble that million, and when that is done, Let's kiss afresh, as when we first begun.

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

18. Fair daffadills, we weep to see You haste away so soon: As yet the early rising sun Has not attained his noon.

19. Thus woe succeeds a woe, as wave a wave.

20. Her pretty feet, like snails, did creep A little out, and then, As if they played at bo-peep, Did soon draw in again.

21. Her eyes the glow-worm lend thee, The shooting stars attend thee; And the elves also, Whose little eyes glow Like the sparks of fire, befriend thee.

22. I saw a flie within a beade Of amber cleanly buried.

23. Thus times do shift, each thing his turn does hold; New things succeed, as former things grow old.

24. Made us nobly wild, not mad.

25. Outdid the meat, outdid the frolic wine.

26. Attempt the end, and never stand to doubt; Nothing's so hard but search will find it out.

27. But ne'er the rose without the thorn.

28. Get up, sweet Slug-a-bed, and see The dew bespangling herb and tree.

29. 'Tis sin, Nay, profanation to keep in.

30. So when or you or I are made A fable, song, or fleeting shade, All love, all liking, all delight Lies drowned with us in endless night.

31. Whenas in silks my Julia goes, Then, then (methinks) how sweetly flows That liquefaction of her clothes. Next, when I cast mine eyes and see That brave vibration each way free; Oh how that glittering taketh me!

32. Sweet, be not proud of those two eyes Which starlike sparkle in their skies; Nor be you proud that you can see All hearts your captives, yours yet free

33. Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, old Time is still a-flying. And this same flower that smiles today, tomorrow will be dying.

34. Gather ye rosebuds, while ye may...

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

36. “Gather ye rose-buds while ye may.”

37. Love is maintain'd by wealth: when all is spent, Adversity then breeds the discontent.

38. It takes great wit and interest and energy to be happy. The pursuit of happiness is a great activity. One must be open and alive. It is the greatest feat man has to accomplish.

39. Whatever comes, let's be content withal; Among God's blessings there is not one small.

40. When a daffadill I see, Hanging down his head towards me, Guess I may, what I must be: First, I shall decline my head; Secondly, I shall be dead: Lastly, safely buryed.

41. Necessity makes dastards valiant men.

42. Buying, possessing, accumulating--this is not worldliness. But doing this in the love of it, with no love of God paramount--doing it so that thoughts of eternity and God are an intrusion--doing it so that one's spirit is secularized in the process; this is worldliness.

43. Tears are the noble language of eyes, and when true love of words is destitute. The eye by tears speak, while the tongue is mute.

44. Bid me to live, and I will live Thy Protestant to be: Or bid me love, and I will give A loving heart to thee, A heart as soft, a heart as kind, A heart as sound and free As in the whole world thou canst find, That heart I'll give to thee.

45. That age is best which is the first When youth and blood are warmer.

46. Show me thy feet, show me thy legs, thy thighs Show me those fleshy principalities; Show me that hill where smiling love doth sit, Having a living fountain under it; Show me thy waist, then let me there withal, By the ascension of thy lawn, see all.

47. Hast thou attempted greatnesse? Then go on; Back-turning slackens resolution.

48. The readiness of doing doth expresse No other but the doer's willingnesse.

49. Temptations hurt not, though they have accesse; Satan o'ercomes none but by willingnesse.

50. Who covets more is evermore a slave.

51. The body is the soul's poor house or home, whose ribs the laths are and whose flesh the loam.

52. I dare not ask a kiss; I dare not beg a smile; Lest having that or this, I might grow proud the while. No, no, the utmost share Of my desire shall be Only to kiss that air, That lately kissed thee.

53. The May-pole is up, Now give me the cup; I'll drink to the garlands around it; But first unto those Whose hands did compose The glory of flowers that crown'd it.

54. Humble we must be, if to heaven we go; High is the roof there, but the gate is low.

55. When the tempter me pursueth With the sins of all my youth, And half damns me with untruth, Sweet Spirit, comfort me!

56. A spark neglected makes a mighty fire.

57. Hell is no other but a soundlesse pit, Where no one beame of comfort peeps in it.

58. Before man's fall the rose was born,St. Ambrose says, without the thorn;But for man's fault then was the thornWithout the fragrant rose-bud born; But ne'er the rose without the thorn.