--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Oft have I heard both youths and virgins…" description: "\"Oft have I heard both youths and virgins say, Birds chuse their mates and couple too this day: But by their flight I never can devine When I shall coup..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/204/robert-herrick-3088_bird_oft-have-i-heard-both-youths-and-virgins_2474347.jpg" --- # Oft have I heard both youths and virgins say, Birds chuse… ![“Oft have I heard both youths and virgins say, Birds chuse their mates and couple too this day: But by their flight I never can devine When I shall couple with my valentine.” quote by Robert Herrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/204/robert-herrick-3088_bird_oft-have-i-heard-both-youths-and-virgins_2474347.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/204/robert-herrick-3088_bird_oft-have-i-heard-both-youths-and-virgins_2474347.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/204/robert-herrick-3088_bird_oft-have-i-heard-both-youths-and-virgins_2474347.jpg) > “Oft have I heard both youths and virgins say, Birds chuse their mates and couple too this day: But by their flight I never can devine When I shall couple with my valentine.” [Robert Herrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-herrick/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Compares love’s uncertainty to birds’ mating, expressing longing for a future union. **In simple terms:** Love is uncertain like birds choosing mates, longing for a partner. Key Takeaway Seek patience and hope in love’s timing. Themes love longing uncertainty nature Mood melancholic hopeful Type poetic reflective When to use this quote - courtship - first dates - unrequited love - marriage planning Key Concepts poetry romanticism metaphor Questions to Reflect On - How do you handle love’s uncertainty? - What patience teaches you about desire? A Different Perspective Birds may not reflect human relationships. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bird/) [Couple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/couple/) [Couple Valentine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/couple-valentine-794436/) [Flight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flight/) [Heard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heard/) [Mates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mates/) [Say Birds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/say-birds-794437/) [This day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/this-day/) [Valentine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/valentine/) [Virgins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virgins/) [Virgins Say](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virgins-say-794434/) [Youth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/youth/) [Youths Virgins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/youths-virgins-794435/) ## Related quotes > [“Dark wings, dark words, me mother used to say, but when the birds fly silent, seems to me that’s even darker.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin/dark-wings-dark-words-me-mother-used-to-say-but-when-the-birds-fly/) [George R.R. 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