In the poem "The Tables Turned," the author presents a "carpe diem" message about the importance of getting out and enjoying life to the fullest. Specifically, the author encourages people to leave behind their books (and, by connotation, their work and their overly academic pursuits) so they can experience nature and life at a more personal level - in this way, they can also gain a deeper, more spontaneous kind of wisdom than books can supply.