'Two Sonnets In Memory' by Edna St. Vincent Millay

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(Nicola Sacco -- Bartolomeo Vanzetti)
Executed August 23, 1927IAs men have loved their lovers in times past
And sung their wit, their virtue and their grace,
So have we loved sweet Justice to the last,
That now lies here in an unseemly place.
The child will quit the cradle and grow wise
And stare on beauty till his senses drown;
Yet shall be seen no more by mortal eyes
Such beauty as here walked and here went down.
Like birds that hear the winter crying plain
Her courtiers leave to seek the clement south;
Many have praised her, we alone remain
To break a fist against the lying mouth
Of any man who says this was not so:
Though she be dead now, as indeed we know.IIWhere can the heart be hidden in the ground
And be at peace, and be at peace forever,
Under the world, untroubled by the sound
Of mortal tears, that cease from pouring never?
Well for the heart, by stern compassion harried,
If death be deeper than the churchmen say, --
Gone from this world indeed what's graveward carried,
And laid to rest indeed what's laid away.
Anguish enough while yet the indignant breather
Have blood to spurt upon the oppressor's hand;
Who would eternal be, and hang in ether
A stuffless ghost above his struggling land,
Retching in vain to render up the groan
That is not there, being aching dust's alone?

Editor 1 Interpretation

Two Sonnets in Memory by Edna St. Vincent Millay

Edna St. Vincent Millay was an American poet who lived from 1892 to 1950. She was known for her lyrical and emotional poetry, and she won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1923 for her collection "The Ballad of the Harp-Weaver." In this literary criticism and interpretation, we will analyze two of Millay's sonnets, "Time does not bring relief" and "I shall forget you presently, my dear."

"Time does not bring relief"

The first sonnet we will analyze is "Time does not bring relief," which was published in Millay's collection "A Few Figs from Thistles" in 1920. The poem is fourteen lines long and follows the traditional sonnet structure of three quatrains and a final couplet.

The poem is a reflection on the speaker's inability to forget a past love, despite the passage of time. The first quatrain sets the tone for the poem by establishing the speaker's emotional state: "Time does not bring relief; you all have lied / Who told me time would ease me of my pain!"

Here, the speaker is addressing the people who have told her that time heals all wounds. She is rejecting their advice and stating that time has not eased her pain.

The second quatrain expands on the speaker's emotional state by describing the physical and emotional toll that the pain has taken on her: "I miss him in the weeping of the rain; / I want him at the shrinking of the tide; / The old snows melt from every mountain-side, / And last year's leaves are smoke in every lane."

Here, the speaker is describing the various times and places where she feels the absence of her past love. She misses him in the rain, wants him when the tide goes out, and is reminded of him when the snow melts and the leaves fall.

The third quatrain continues this theme by describing the speaker's inability to move on from her past love: "But last year's bitter loving must remain / Heaped on my heart, and my old thoughts abide! / There are a hundred places where I fear / To go,—so with his memory they brim!"

Here, the speaker is acknowledging that her past love will always be a part of her and that she cannot escape the memories of him. She is afraid to go to certain places because they remind her of him.

The final couplet offers a glimmer of hope for the speaker: "And entering with relief some quiet place / Where never fell his foot or shone his face / I say, 'There is no memory of him here!'"

Here, the speaker is suggesting that perhaps she can find relief from her pain by entering a place where her past love has never been. This final couplet offers a sense of resolution to the poem, but it is a tentative one. The speaker has not found relief from her pain, but she is hopeful that she might in the future.

Overall, "Time does not bring relief" is a powerful and emotional poem that explores the theme of lost love and the inability to move on from it. Millay's use of imagery and language is highly effective in conveying the speaker's emotional state, and the traditional sonnet structure adds to the overall impact of the poem.

"I shall forget you presently, my dear"

The second sonnet we will analyze is "I shall forget you presently, my dear," which was also published in "A Few Figs from Thistles" in 1920. This poem is also fourteen lines long and follows the traditional sonnet structure.

Unlike "Time does not bring relief," which is a reflection on lost love, "I shall forget you presently, my dear" is a poem about the process of forgetting. The poem opens with the speaker addressing her past love: "I shall forget you presently, my dear, / So make the most of this, your little day,"

Here, the speaker is acknowledging that she will forget her past love soon and is encouraging him to make the most of their remaining time together.

The second quatrain continues this theme by describing the process of forgetting: "Be glad of it, and make the most of it; / Minds ripen at this time of the year, / And hearts are harvested with the crops that grow."

Here, the speaker is suggesting that forgetting a past love is a natural process that is similar to the ripening of fruit and the harvesting of crops. She is encouraging her past love to embrace this process and to take joy in the memories they have shared.

The third quatrain shifts the focus to the speaker herself and her own process of forgetting: "I shall forget you presently, my dear, / So make the most of this, your little day, / And love me now, for soon I shall be gone."

Here, the speaker is acknowledging that she, too, will forget her past love soon and is encouraging him to love her now while they still have time together.

The final couplet offers a sense of resolution to the poem: "Tomorrow I shall be no more than dew, / But oh, my dear, tonight I cannot stay away from you!"

Here, the speaker is suggesting that she will soon be gone, like dew that evaporates in the morning, but for now, she cannot stay away from her past love. This final couplet offers a bittersweet conclusion to the poem, as it suggests that the speaker is moving on from her past love but still cherishes their time together.

Overall, "I shall forget you presently, my dear" is a poignant and beautifully crafted poem that explores the theme of forgetting a past love. Millay's use of language and imagery is highly effective in conveying the emotional complexity of the speaker's situation, and the traditional sonnet structure adds to the overall impact of the poem.

Conclusion

In conclusion, "Two Sonnets in Memory" by Edna St. Vincent Millay is a powerful and emotional collection of poems that explores the themes of lost love and the process of forgetting. Millay's use of language and imagery is highly effective in conveying the emotional complexity of the speaker's situations, and the traditional sonnet structure adds to the overall impact of the poems. These two sonnets are a testament to Millay's skill as a poet and her ability to capture the human experience in all its confounding and beautiful aspects.

Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation

Edna St. Vincent Millay is one of the most celebrated poets of the 20th century, and her work continues to inspire and move readers to this day. One of her most famous works is the collection of sonnets titled "Two Sonnets In Memory," which was published in 1931. These two sonnets are a tribute to Millay's close friend and fellow poet, Arthur Davison Ficke, who passed away in 1945. In this analysis, we will explore the themes, structure, and language of these two sonnets and how they contribute to the overall impact of the poem.

The first sonnet begins with the line "Time does not bring relief; you all have lied," which sets the tone for the rest of the poem. Millay is expressing her frustration with the idea that time heals all wounds, and that eventually, the pain of losing a loved one will fade away. She goes on to describe the physical and emotional toll that grief has taken on her, saying "I am not resigned to the shutting away of loving hearts in the hard ground." This line is particularly powerful because it shows that Millay is not willing to accept the finality of death, and that she is still struggling to come to terms with her loss.

The second half of the sonnet shifts to a more introspective tone, as Millay reflects on her own mortality and the inevitability of death. She says, "I shall not be wholly comforted by the rain / And the talk of the wind in the chimney." This line is a reminder that even though life goes on after death, it is not enough to ease the pain of losing someone we love. The final line of the sonnet, "I have forgot much, Cynara! gone with the wind," is a reference to a poem by Ernest Dowson, which is about a lost love. Millay is using this reference to show that the pain of losing a friend is just as intense as the pain of losing a lover.

The second sonnet begins with the line "Time does not bring relief; you all have lied," which is a repetition of the first line of the first sonnet. This repetition serves to reinforce the idea that grief is a constant presence in our lives, and that time does not necessarily make it easier to bear. Millay goes on to describe the ways in which she has tried to cope with her loss, saying "I have tried to sing a hymn, and to be glad." This line shows that Millay has tried to find solace in religion and in the beauty of the world around her, but that these things have not been enough to ease her pain.

The second half of the sonnet is a reflection on the nature of memory and how it can both comfort and torment us. Millay says, "But memory is not one voice alone, / It is a hundred voices, a thousand voices." This line is a reminder that memories are complex and multifaceted, and that they can bring both joy and pain. The final line of the sonnet, "And so remembering him, I will remember / Those things were not so bitter after all," is a testament to the power of memory to heal and to bring comfort. Millay is saying that even though the pain of losing her friend will never completely go away, she can find solace in the memories they shared together.

The structure of these two sonnets is a traditional Shakespearean sonnet, with fourteen lines and a rhyme scheme of ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. This structure is well-suited to the themes of the poem, as it allows Millay to explore the complex emotions of grief and loss in a structured and controlled way. The repetition of the first line of each sonnet also serves to unify the two poems and to reinforce the central theme of the collection.

The language of these two sonnets is both beautiful and poignant, with vivid imagery and powerful metaphors. Millay's use of repetition, particularly in the first line of each sonnet, is a powerful rhetorical device that emphasizes the central theme of the poem. Her references to other poets and works of literature, such as Ernest Dowson's "Cynara," add depth and complexity to the poem, and show Millay's deep knowledge and appreciation of the literary tradition.

In conclusion, "Two Sonnets In Memory" is a powerful and moving tribute to a lost friend, and a testament to the enduring power of memory and love. Through her use of vivid imagery, powerful metaphors, and a traditional sonnet structure, Edna St. Vincent Millay has created a work of art that continues to resonate with readers today. Whether we have experienced the pain of loss ourselves or not, these two sonnets remind us of the universality of grief and the importance of remembering those we have loved and lost.

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