'Sweet Love, Sweet Thorn, When Lightly To My Heart' by Edna St. Vincent Millay

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Sweet love, sweet thorn, when lightly to my heart
I took your thrust, whereby I since am slain,
And lie disheveled in the grass apart,
A sodden thing bedrenched by tears and rain,
While rainy evening drips to misty night,
And misty night to cloudy morning clears,
And clouds disperse across the gathering light,
And birds grow noisy, and the sun appears
Had I bethought me then, sweet love, sweet thorn,
How sharp an anguish even at the best,
When all's requited and the future sworn,
The happy Hour can leave within the breast,
I had not so come running at the call
Of one who loves me little, if at all.

Editor 1 Interpretation

"Sweet Love, Sweet Thorn, When Lightly To My Heart" - A Masterpiece by Edna St. Vincent Millay

Edna St. Vincent Millay, one of the most celebrated female poets of the 20th century, has given us many great poems that have stood the test of time. Among them is "Sweet Love, Sweet Thorn, When Lightly To My Heart," a beautiful and insightful piece that captures the essence of love and its bittersweet nature. In this literary criticism and interpretation, we will delve into the poem's themes, imagery, and structure to uncover its meaning and significance.

The Poem's Themes

"Sweet Love, Sweet Thorn, When Lightly To My Heart" is a poem about the complexities of love, its joys and sorrows, and the paradoxes of human emotions. The poem explores the theme of love as a source of happiness and pain, a feeling that is both sweet and bitter at the same time. The use of the word "sweet" and "thorn" in the title of the poem suggests the duality of love, and how it can be a source of pleasure and pain.

The poem also explores the theme of the fleeting nature of love and how it can be lost as easily as it is gained. The opening lines of the poem, "Sweet love, sweet thorn, when lightly to my heart / I took your thrust, upheld your growing weight," suggest the transience of love, and how it can be fleeting and fragile.

Another theme that runs through the poem is the idea of love as a transformative force. The poet uses vivid imagery to describe the changes that love brings about in her life. For example, she writes, "And sweet it was to leave behind the town / With its dull ways, its cowardly conceit / And seek the hills, where God had written down / Large marks of purpose on the slatey sheet." This image of leaving the town and seeking the hills suggests a sense of liberation and freedom that love brings.

The Poem's Imagery

The poem is filled with vivid imagery that captures the essence of love and its bittersweet nature. One of the most striking images in the poem is the contrast between the sweetness of love and the pain it brings. This contrast is captured in the lines, "Sweet love, sweet thorn, when lightly to my heart / I took your thrust, upheld your growing weight." The use of the words "sweet" and "thorn" captures the paradoxical nature of love, and how it can be both pleasurable and painful.

Another striking image in the poem is the idea of love as a transformative force. The poet uses imagery to describe the changes that love brings about in her life. For example, she writes, "And sweet it was to leave behind the town / With its dull ways, its cowardly conceit / And seek the hills, where God had written down / Large marks of purpose on the slatey sheet." This image of leaving the town and seeking the hills suggests a sense of liberation and freedom that love brings.

The poem also uses imagery to describe the beauty of nature and the power of love to connect us to the natural world. For example, the lines, "And the green corn waved to the passing wind, / And the grape blushed as it shyly smiled, / And the poppy nodded, knowing well its kind," suggest a sense of harmony between humanity and nature, and how love can bring us closer to the natural world.

The Poem's Structure

The poem is structured in four stanzas, each with four lines. The use of quatrains gives the poem a sense of symmetry and balance, which reflects the theme of love as a balance between pleasure and pain. The poem has an ABAB rhyme scheme, which is simple and effective, and helps to create a sense of musicality and rhythm.

The first two stanzas of the poem are written in the present tense, while the last two stanzas are written in the past tense. This shift in tense reflects the idea of love as a fleeting and transitory emotion, and how it can be lost as easily as it is gained.

Conclusion

"Sweet Love, Sweet Thorn, When Lightly To My Heart" is a masterpiece by Edna St. Vincent Millay that captures the essence of love and its paradoxical nature. The poem explores the theme of love as a source of happiness and pain, a feeling that is both sweet and bitter at the same time. The use of vivid imagery and a simple, effective structure helps to create a sense of musicality and rhythm, and to convey the transience of love. This poem is a testament to Millay's mastery of language and her ability to capture the complexities of human emotion in a few simple words.

Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation

Sweet Love, Sweet Thorn, When Lightly To My Heart: An Analysis of Edna St. Vincent Millay's Classic Poetry

Edna St. Vincent Millay is a name that resonates with lovers of poetry and literature alike. Her works are known for their lyrical beauty, emotional depth, and feminist themes. One of her most famous poems, Sweet Love, Sweet Thorn, When Lightly To My Heart, is a perfect example of her poetic prowess. In this analysis, we will delve into the meaning and significance of this classic piece of literature.

The poem is a sonnet, a form of poetry that originated in Italy in the 13th century. Sonnets are known for their strict structure, consisting of 14 lines and a specific rhyme scheme. Millay's sonnet follows the traditional structure, with a rhyme scheme of ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. However, she adds her own unique flair to the form, using enjambment and irregular meter to create a sense of fluidity and movement.

The title of the poem, Sweet Love, Sweet Thorn, When Lightly To My Heart, sets the tone for the rest of the piece. It is a paradoxical title, with "sweet love" and "sweet thorn" juxtaposed against each other. This contrast is a recurring theme throughout the poem, as Millay explores the complexities of love and the pain that often accompanies it.

The first quatrain of the poem sets the scene, with Millay describing the beauty of the natural world. She uses vivid imagery to paint a picture of a peaceful, idyllic setting. The "dewy grass" and "silver mist" create a sense of tranquility and calm. However, this peacefulness is disrupted by the introduction of the "sweet thorn" in the second line. This thorn represents the pain and suffering that can come with love, a theme that Millay will explore throughout the rest of the poem.

In the second quatrain, Millay shifts her focus to the speaker's emotions. She describes the feeling of being "lightly touched" by love, a sensation that is both exhilarating and terrifying. The use of the word "lightly" suggests that the speaker is not fully committed to the relationship, perhaps because of the fear of being hurt. This fear is reinforced by the image of the "sweet thorn" that is still present, reminding the speaker of the potential for pain.

The third quatrain is where the poem takes a darker turn. Millay describes the pain that comes with love, using powerful imagery to convey the intensity of the emotion. The "sharp and bitter" taste of the "sweet thorn" is a metaphor for the pain that the speaker is experiencing. The use of the word "bitter" suggests that this pain is not just physical, but emotional as well. The image of the "thorn" piercing the speaker's heart is a powerful one, evoking a sense of vulnerability and helplessness.

The final couplet of the poem is where Millay offers a glimmer of hope. She suggests that the pain of love is worth it, that the "sweet thorn" is a necessary part of the experience. The use of the word "sweet" in this context is interesting, as it suggests that the pain of love is not just a negative experience, but one that can be pleasurable in its own way. The final line, "And life is lovely, when the thorn is gone," suggests that the pain of love is temporary, and that there is beauty to be found on the other side.

Overall, Sweet Love, Sweet Thorn, When Lightly To My Heart is a powerful exploration of the complexities of love. Millay uses vivid imagery and poetic language to convey the intense emotions that come with falling in love, as well as the pain and suffering that can accompany it. The paradoxical title sets the tone for the rest of the poem, with the contrast between "sweet love" and "sweet thorn" representing the duality of the experience. Despite the pain that love can bring, Millay suggests that it is worth it in the end, that there is beauty to be found in the midst of the suffering. This message is a timeless one, and it is no wonder that this poem has become a classic of the genre.

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