Technique
Carpe Diem
From Horace, Odes I.11 (23 BC): 'carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero.' The great theme of Renaissance lyric, from Ronsard to Herrick.
Definition
A Latin thematic motif — 'seize the day' — urging enjoyment of present pleasures against the certainty of death.
Example
Marvell's 'To His Coy Mistress': 'Had we but world enough and time, / This coyness, lady, were no crime.'