Like his poem "To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time," this is a carpe diempoem. It encourages the reader to seize the day and enjoy life. In the poem, the speaker criticizes those who do not go out and enjoy the spring (May). This the symbolic time of rebirth and awakening. And while going "maying" can mean to gather flowers and celebrating nature in May, it also has sexual connotations. So, these themes...
Like his poem "To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time," this is a carpe diem poem. It encourages the reader to seize the day and enjoy life. In the poem, the speaker criticizes those who do not go out and enjoy the spring (May). This the symbolic time of rebirth and awakening. And while going "maying" can mean to gather flowers and celebrating nature in May, it also has sexual connotations. So, these themes of rebirth and awakening also suggest a getaway to a romantic or sexual realm. The speaker notes that it is a sin to "keep in" - stay inside and/or not experience the world. The interesting thing (or redefining) about this is that he suggests that it would be a sin not to have a sexual or romantic encounter. Whereas in some of the more Puritanical beliefs of Herrick's day, sexual dalliances like this were thought to be sinful. But Herrick says it would be a sin not to indulge.
In embracing life, with and without the romantic references, Herrick imbues nature with spirituality. Herrick invokes the goddess Aurora:
See how Aurora throwes her faire
Fresh-quilted colours through the aire:
Aurora is the goddess of the dawn. Here, nature and a sense of spiritual welcoming (from Aurora) are combined. In this same stanza, the birds sing "Hymns" as if their songs are proclaiming the divine presence of nature, particularly in spring time. The speaker also mentions Flora, a goddess of flowers, spring, and fertility.
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