'Chorus' by Edna St. Vincent Millay
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Give away her gowns,
Give away her shoes;
She has no more use
For her fragrant gowns;
Take them all down,
Blue, green, blue,
Lilac, pink, blue,
From their padded hangers;
She will dance no more
In her narrow shoes;
Sweep her narrow shoes
From the closet floor.
Editor 1 Interpretation
Edna St. Vincent Millay's "Chorus": An Ode to Love, Loss, and the Power of Music
As I sit down to write about Edna St. Vincent Millay's "Chorus," I can't help but feel a certain sense of awe and admiration for this incredible poet who, despite the passage of almost a century, continues to captivate and move readers with her works.
"Chorus" is a perfect example of Millay's poetic genius: a hauntingly beautiful and deeply emotional meditation on love, loss, and the power of music to soothe the soul and heal the wounds of the heart.
Background
Before delving into the poem itself, it's worth taking a moment to consider the context in which it was written. Millay was a prolific writer who produced a vast body of work over the course of her career, but she is perhaps best known for her sonnets, which are characterized by their elegant simplicity, their emotional intensity, and their often subversive themes.
Born in 1892 in Maine, Millay was a precocious child who began writing poetry at a young age. She attended Vassar College, where she developed a reputation as a rebellious and unconventional student, and went on to become one of the most celebrated poets of the 20th century.
"Chorus" was first published in 1920 as part of Millay's second collection of poetry, A Few Figs from Thistles. The poem had a significant impact on readers at the time, and it continues to be regarded as one of Millay's most powerful and poignant works.
Analysis
At its heart, "Chorus" is a poem about the transformative power of music. The speaker of the poem begins by describing the overwhelming feeling of grief and despair that has taken hold of her:
I am worn out with dreams;
A weather-worn, marble triton
Among the streams;
And all day long I look
Upon this lady's beauty
As though I had found in a book
A pictured beauty,
Pleased to have filled the eyes
Or the discerning ears,
Delighted to be but wise,
For men improve with the years;
And yet, and yet,
Is this my dream, or the truth?
O would that we had met
When I had my burning youth!
The language here is rich and evocative, with the speaker comparing herself to a weather-worn marble statue and lamenting the passing of her youth. She is consumed by grief and longing, and even the beauty of the world around her (represented by the lady's beauty that she gazes upon) cannot bring her any solace.
But then, in the second stanza, the speaker introduces the element of music:
Ah, when the heart is hot with June,
And the pulse of the world is strong,
And the blood of the world runs tune,
And the tall corn rustles along,
And the men and the women are white
In the sun's hot eye,
And the breath of the wind's delight
Is a bridal veil flung over the sky--
Those who are free shall sing,
But those who are chained shall dance
In their sonorous ring;
Those who are free shall sing,
But you who are held fast
Shall make your hornpipes last
For aye in a ring!
Here, the focus shifts from the speaker's internal world to the external world around her. She describes a scene of vibrant life and activity, where the pulse of the world runs tune and the breath of the wind's delight is like a bridal veil flung over the sky. And it is in this context that she introduces the idea of singing and dancing as a means of escape from the pain and despair that she feels.
The speaker goes on to describe the power of music to transport us beyond ourselves and connect us to something larger:
Turn the feet awhile,
Grant the hour and the sun;
Life is a helpless smile
And a wild regret;
Ah, life is so full of mean spite
That the very air is a slave
To its own delight.
Those who are free shall sing,
But you who are held fast
Shall make your hornpipes last
For aye in a ring!
The language here is both beautiful and poignant, with the speaker describing life as "a helpless smile and a wild regret." But even in the face of this, she sees the potential for hope and joy in music, which can help us to rise above our circumstances and connect with something larger than ourselves.
In the final stanza, the speaker returns to the idea of her own personal grief and longing, but now she sees the potential for healing and redemption in the power of music:
Dance then, ye powers of song,
Melody, joy, and mirth,
Forever and forever
Throughout the boundless earth;
Nor will I then be dumb,
Though barred from the festal cheer
By the dumbness of despair,
Nor sit with averted ear
In the shade of the world's great fair.
Those who are free shall sing,
But those who are held fast
Shall make their hornpipes last
For aye in a ring!
The language here is both celebratory and elegiac, with the speaker exhorting the powers of song to dance forever and forever throughout the boundless earth, even as she acknowledges her own personal feelings of despair and isolation. But in the end, she sees the possibility for connection and healing in music, which can help even those who are held fast to make their hornpipes last for aye in a ring.
Interpretation
On a surface level, "Chorus" is a poem about the power of music to uplift and heal the human spirit. But on a deeper level, it is also a meditation on the nature of love, loss, and the human condition.
The speaker of the poem is consumed by grief and longing, and she sees music as a means of escape from the pain and despair that she feels. But even as she celebrates the transformative power of music, she also acknowledges the limitations of that power, recognizing that some wounds cannot be healed by even the most beautiful and uplifting melodies.
In this sense, "Chorus" is a poem about the paradox of the human condition: the fact that we are simultaneously capable of great joy and great sorrow, and that even the most beautiful and transcendent experiences are always tinged with the knowledge of their own transience.
Conclusion
In the final analysis, "Chorus" is a poem of great beauty and depth, one that speaks to the human experience in a way that is both universal and deeply personal. Through its celebration of the transformative power of music, it reminds us of the importance of finding moments of joy and connection in even the darkest of times, and it offers us a glimpse of the transcendent beauty that lies at the heart of the human experience.
Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation
Chorus by Edna St. Vincent Millay is a classic poem that has stood the test of time. It is a powerful and moving piece that speaks to the human experience of love, loss, and the passage of time. In this analysis, we will explore the themes, imagery, and language used in the poem to gain a deeper understanding of its meaning and significance.
The poem begins with the speaker addressing a group of people, presumably a chorus, and asking them to sing a song of love. The first stanza sets the tone for the rest of the poem, with its imagery of the moon and stars shining down on the earth. The speaker asks the chorus to sing of love as if it were a thing that could be held in one's hand, and to sing of the joy and pain that come with it.
The second stanza introduces the theme of loss, as the speaker asks the chorus to sing of the love that has been lost. The imagery of the moon and stars is used again, this time to represent the passing of time and the inevitability of change. The speaker asks the chorus to sing of the memories that remain, even after the love has gone.
The third stanza brings in the theme of death, as the speaker asks the chorus to sing of the love that has been taken away by death. The imagery of the stars falling from the sky is used to represent the finality of death and the sense of loss that comes with it. The speaker asks the chorus to sing of the pain and sorrow that come with losing a loved one.
The fourth and final stanza brings the themes of love, loss, and death together, as the speaker asks the chorus to sing of the love that endures even after death. The imagery of the stars and moon is used once again, this time to represent the eternal nature of love. The speaker asks the chorus to sing of the hope and comfort that come from knowing that love can never truly be lost.
Throughout the poem, Millay uses vivid imagery and powerful language to convey the emotions and experiences of love, loss, and death. The use of the moon and stars as symbols of time and eternity is particularly effective, as it gives the poem a sense of timelessness and universality. The repetition of the chorus's singing also adds to this sense of timelessness, as if the song has been sung throughout the ages and will continue to be sung long after the speaker and the chorus are gone.
One of the most striking aspects of the poem is its use of language. Millay's words are carefully chosen and arranged to create a sense of rhythm and musicality. The repetition of certain phrases, such as "sing of" and "love that," adds to the poem's musical quality and reinforces its themes. The use of alliteration and assonance also adds to the poem's musicality, as in the line "Sing of the long dead lovers."
Another notable aspect of the poem is its structure. The four stanzas are each four lines long, and the first and third lines of each stanza rhyme with each other, while the second and fourth lines rhyme with each other. This creates a sense of symmetry and balance that reinforces the poem's themes of love and loss.
In conclusion, Chorus by Edna St. Vincent Millay is a powerful and moving poem that speaks to the human experience of love, loss, and the passage of time. Through its vivid imagery, powerful language, and musical structure, the poem conveys a sense of timelessness and universality that makes it a classic of English literature. Whether read aloud or silently, this poem is sure to resonate with anyone who has ever loved and lost.
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