Edna St. Vincent Millay's Poems
Edna St. Vincent Millay's poetry appeals to me because of her frank and unconventional subject matter, her overarching theme of loneliness, and her use of nature imagery. By expressing her feminist views on sexuality in lyrical poetry, Millay’s poems come across as a surprising mixture of gentleness and strength. The women in her poems are unencumbered by the societal norms of Millay’s time, and they appear to embrace their sexuality as a strength. Additionally, I found her use of the traditional sonnet to express her open, non-traditional views of sexuality thought-provoking. Further, throughout Millay's poems runs a well-expressed, emotional theme of loneliness. For instance, in the poem, "What Lips My Lips Have Kissed, and Where, and
Why," she paints a picture of depressing loneliness. In her solitude, the speaker in the poem describes the rain as being, "full of ghosts tonight, that tap and sigh / upon the glass and listen for reply" (lines 4-5). I notice a similar theme of loneliness in "This Beast That Rends Me in the Sight of All" when the speaker divulges that "This love, this longing, this oblivious thing, / That has me under as the last leaves fall, / Will glut, will sicken, will be gone by spring" (2-4). In "Even in the Moment of Our Earliest Kiss," the theme continues as the woman in the poem acknowledges that her current relationship will, like the changing seasons, not last. Lastly, Millay’s poem, “Love Is Not All,” describes a woman who feels love is not all consuming. Evokes a of feeling of isolation as the speaker opposes the traditional view of love. She justifies her belief that love, while important, fails to be all-powerful. In the same fashion, I felt Millay’s use of nature imagery in these poems furthered the theme of loneliness. The lonely tree and the vanishing birds in "What Lips My Lips Have Kissed, and Where and Why," serve as a metaphor for the speaker's loneliness. "This Beast That Rends Me in the Sight of All" and "Even in the Moment of Our Earliest Kiss" both reference the passing seasons and evoke feelings of solitude.
Why," she paints a picture of depressing loneliness. In her solitude, the speaker in the poem describes the rain as being, "full of ghosts tonight, that tap and sigh / upon the glass and listen for reply" (lines 4-5). I notice a similar theme of loneliness in "This Beast That Rends Me in the Sight of All" when the speaker divulges that "This love, this longing, this oblivious thing, / That has me under as the last leaves fall, / Will glut, will sicken, will be gone by spring" (2-4). In "Even in the Moment of Our Earliest Kiss," the theme continues as the woman in the poem acknowledges that her current relationship will, like the changing seasons, not last. Lastly, Millay’s poem, “Love Is Not All,” describes a woman who feels love is not all consuming. Evokes a of feeling of isolation as the speaker opposes the traditional view of love. She justifies her belief that love, while important, fails to be all-powerful. In the same fashion, I felt Millay’s use of nature imagery in these poems furthered the theme of loneliness. The lonely tree and the vanishing birds in "What Lips My Lips Have Kissed, and Where and Why," serve as a metaphor for the speaker's loneliness. "This Beast That Rends Me in the Sight of All" and "Even in the Moment of Our Earliest Kiss" both reference the passing seasons and evoke feelings of solitude.