Commentary

Herbert frequently drew on the natural world for inspiration (most notably in the poem 'Providence') and he had a particular fondness for flowers, perhaps due to the influence of his step-father Sir John Danvers, who was a garden enthusiast. In particular, their transience offered him a metaphor for human mortality to which everyone could easily relate. And despite its title, this poem is essentially a reflection on the inevitability of death.

The opening stanza makes it clear that the speaker is referring to cut flowers, and gathering them into a posy enables Herbert to indulge in one of his customary puns ('poesy' or poetry). Their beauty and scent are seen as reflecting a life that is pure and unsullied, which hopefully he or she can emulate. But unfortunately cut flowers do not last long, and Time (which, as we know from his poem 'Time', Herbert equates to death) will always take its toll.

So in the second stanza Herbert's speaker accepts that the withering of the flowers provides a reminder of the shortness of their own life's span - a gentle warning that nothing lasts for ever. It is interesting to note how Herbert refers to the senses of taste and smell in this context, in an acknowledgement of the way flowers can affect us so powerfully. And reflecting on this, the speaker is encouraged to accept mortality cheerfully.

In consequence, the theme of the third stanza is that of life well lived despite its brevity. Before they faded and died, the flowers brought pleasure by virtue of their beauty and odour. And Herbert makes the point that some parts of flowers can also be used for medicinal purposes (as reflected Herbert's poem 'The Rose'), so even after death they continue to enhance our lives. So for his speaker, it doesn't matter whether their life is long or short - provided it has been virtuous, death can and should be welcomed.