Hey everyone, David Kern here. I just wanted to let you know that this episode of The Daily Poem is sponsored by an exciting new book from the Circe Press.

It's called Legends of the Roundtable. If you love Arthuriana, you know how hard it can be to find accessible, child-friendly collections of your favorite tales.

A few years ago, Circe set out to make just such a collection so you don't have to.

They took the most loved tales in the most beautiful language

and added discussion questions to enable read-alouds or personal contemplation.

Grab your copy of this beautiful collection of Arthurian tales for all ages

to bring chivalry, valor, and feasting into your home this summer.

Learn more about it on their website, surcey institute.org slash books, or by clicking the link

in the show notes. And with that, here's today's episode.

Welcome back to The Daily Poem, a podcast from Goldberry Studios. I'm Sean Johnson, and today

is Wednesday, June 14th, 2023. Today's poem is by

Robert Herrick, a British poet born 1591, died 1674, a contemporary of William Shakespeare's,

Herrick would eventually take holy orders as a priest in the Church of England. But before that, he spent a number of years living in London, which was a happening literary scene at the time.

As a member of the Sons of Ben, or the Tribe of Ben, a group of gifted poets who orbited around Ben Johnson, the great poet and playwright and Shakespeare's

chief professional rival at the time. The poem for today is called to daffodils. I'll read it once,

offer a few comments, and then close out with the second reading of the poem.

To daffodils.

Bear daffodils, we weep to see you haste away so soon, as yet the early rising sun has not attained his noon.

Stay, stay until the hasting day has run but to the even song.

And having prayed together, we will go with you along. We have short time to stay as you. We have

as short a spring, as quick a growth to meet decay as you or anything. We die as your hours do and dry away like to the summer's rain,

or as the pearls of mourning to do, ne'er to be found again. Robert Herrick's most well-known poem is probably to the virgins to make much of time,

...