For many centuries, young men have been telling their sweethearts about ephemeral youth and passion which, like a candle, burns brightly but dies out slowly but surely. Edmund Waller's persona in the poem "Song" is such a young man. He sends a rose to his beloved to "Tell her that [she] wastes her time and [him] (2) by acting shy and staying out of sight. This young lover is trying to tell his paramour that their …showed first 75 words of 968 total…

…showed last 75 words of 968 total…male who has only one thing on his mind, and it does not look like it is love. His actions suggest a "carpe diem" attitude which he is trying to impress upon his beloved. Thus, he uses the lovely rose to remind his love of "How small a part of time they share" (19); to remind her of the urgency of his love, and entice her to forget her modesty and allow "herself to be desired" (14).