What Is The Mood Of The Poem What Lips My Lips Have Kissed And Where And Why
In the poem, “What Lips My Lips Have Kissed and Where and Why?” by Edna St. Vincent Millay, indicates that she has become an older woman who can’t remember the loves in her past that have come and gone. Throughout this poem there are hints and reasoning behind my thoughts on why Millay has described herself in this poem. I will go through this poem dissecting short parts of the poem to prove my point. “What lips my lips have kissed, and where and why, I have forgotten, and what arms have lain Under my head till morning…” The very first line introduces the subject of the poem. She describes herself thinking back on the lips she has kissed and why. The way she describes the lips, and birds in the next set of lines, represents concrete things in her past; beautiful, alive, and vibrant. Now they are only blurred visions which she can’t fully remember. Those who merely skim the poem
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would immediately think Millay was very promiscuous and had various affairs with young men. As she grows older her memories of her motives and actions fade. “..but the rain Is full of ghosts tonight, that tap and sigh Upon the glass and listen for reply, And in my heart there stirs a quiet pain For unremembered lads that not again Will turn to me at midnight with a cry. “ The author creates a metaphor of lovers to that of rain, which creates the image of tears or wistful longing. “The rain is full of ghosts”, takes the place of people of her past that could be returning in her thoughts, hence the tapping upon the glass. The ghosts could also mean the loss of her loves. The ghosts come in the night, while raining to see if she remembers. The tapping upon the glass could mean the persistent thought the people and memories she has had with them. Since she cannot remember where or why anymore, if she continues to think of it, the memory just might come back to her. The thoughts pause and wait to see if there is a reply, but there is no recognition of these memories, so there is no reply. Millay’s grief becomes affecting when she describes how in her heart sits a quiet pain for the lads she cannot remember. It affects the reader personally because no one could read this line and not pity Millay. She’s pouring her heart out with this one line about being lonely without the company of these lads. She uses the word lad to specify back to her youth, since lad is the word for young man. Which goes back to her, Millay’s feeling of pain because she is growing older and cannot remember these thoughts. She has a quiet pain longing for these nights again. “Thus in the winter stands the lonely tree, Nor knows what birds have vanished one by one, Yet knows its boughs more silent than before…”
The image of the lonely tree that stands in winter could mean that the poet feels her life has reached another season.
Usually winter is associated with cold, grey, dreary days. To be alone in the winter could suggest she’s alone for the holidays as well which could associate with her sadness. If she celebrated with loves in the past, these silent days could affect her moods. Millay’s use of a lonely tree could mean she doesn’t see the change into winter as a brightening change. She could feel her beauty has fallen with age, as the leaves of the lonely tree. Her choice of the word vanished suggests that the birds did not fly visibly away, but that their absence was noted after they had gone. Alike, her former self did not suddenly fly away, but was eventually seen to have vanished. Though the tree knows its limbs more silent than before, suggests that she knows her life was livelier than what it is now. She can’t remember what has happened in the past or recollect all of the previous memories of the lads but she knows now it was never this lonely and quiet in her
life. “I cannot say what loves have come and gone; I only know that summer sang in me A little while, that in me sings no more.”
Once again reverting back to her old age, the way she cannot say what loves have come and gone show that her old age has gotten the best of her memories. Summer is usually connected to the high point of the year. After summer, young people mature and leave that previous youth behind. She says that summer sang in her. Singing can also mean joy and youthfulness of her life. If she sang during the summer, that song is in her no more. This could mean that the youth and joy that she had in her life, while singing that summer, is gone and her happiness has turned into loneliness. Not knowing which loves have come or gone could revert back to them being ghosts, for which she cannot see. She only knows that once in her life that joy was there. This poem is a feeling of sadness by the speaker because she cannot remember, nor enjoy, the liveliness of her past. I think if she could remember the lads and the love and relationships she had with them, she would have more joy because she would be able to reminisce these memories. If one was able to remember a face, or an event that happened in the past, they could smile and laugh about it. But if that memory is no more, they have nothing to look back upon. Millay is saddened by the realization of her loss of memory, because she knows she had a joyful youth with these lads.
would immediately think Millay was very promiscuous and had various affairs with young men. As she grows older her memories of her motives and actions fade. “..but the rain Is full of ghosts tonight, that tap and sigh Upon the glass and listen for reply, And in my heart there stirs a quiet pain For unremembered lads that not again Will turn to me at midnight with a cry. “ The author creates a metaphor of lovers to that of rain, which creates the image of tears or wistful longing. “The rain is full of ghosts”, takes the place of people of her past that could be returning in her thoughts, hence the tapping upon the glass. The ghosts could also mean the loss of her loves. The ghosts come in the night, while raining to see if she remembers. The tapping upon the glass could mean the persistent thought the people and memories she has had with them. Since she cannot remember where or why anymore, if she continues to think of it, the memory just might come back to her. The thoughts pause and wait to see if there is a reply, but there is no recognition of these memories, so there is no reply. Millay’s grief becomes affecting when she describes how in her heart sits a quiet pain for the lads she cannot remember. It affects the reader personally because no one could read this line and not pity Millay. She’s pouring her heart out with this one line about being lonely without the company of these lads. She uses the word lad to specify back to her youth, since lad is the word for young man. Which goes back to her, Millay’s feeling of pain because she is growing older and cannot remember these thoughts. She has a quiet pain longing for these nights again. “Thus in the winter stands the lonely tree, Nor knows what birds have vanished one by one, Yet knows its boughs more silent than before…”
The image of the lonely tree that stands in winter could mean that the poet feels her life has reached another season.
Usually winter is associated with cold, grey, dreary days. To be alone in the winter could suggest she’s alone for the holidays as well which could associate with her sadness. If she celebrated with loves in the past, these silent days could affect her moods. Millay’s use of a lonely tree could mean she doesn’t see the change into winter as a brightening change. She could feel her beauty has fallen with age, as the leaves of the lonely tree. Her choice of the word vanished suggests that the birds did not fly visibly away, but that their absence was noted after they had gone. Alike, her former self did not suddenly fly away, but was eventually seen to have vanished. Though the tree knows its limbs more silent than before, suggests that she knows her life was livelier than what it is now. She can’t remember what has happened in the past or recollect all of the previous memories of the lads but she knows now it was never this lonely and quiet in her
life. “I cannot say what loves have come and gone; I only know that summer sang in me A little while, that in me sings no more.”
Once again reverting back to her old age, the way she cannot say what loves have come and gone show that her old age has gotten the best of her memories. Summer is usually connected to the high point of the year. After summer, young people mature and leave that previous youth behind. She says that summer sang in her. Singing can also mean joy and youthfulness of her life. If she sang during the summer, that song is in her no more. This could mean that the youth and joy that she had in her life, while singing that summer, is gone and her happiness has turned into loneliness. Not knowing which loves have come or gone could revert back to them being ghosts, for which she cannot see. She only knows that once in her life that joy was there. This poem is a feeling of sadness by the speaker because she cannot remember, nor enjoy, the liveliness of her past. I think if she could remember the lads and the love and relationships she had with them, she would have more joy because she would be able to reminisce these memories. If one was able to remember a face, or an event that happened in the past, they could smile and laugh about it. But if that memory is no more, they have nothing to look back upon. Millay is saddened by the realization of her loss of memory, because she knows she had a joyful youth with these lads.