'Sonnet 02: Time Does Not Bring Relief; You All Have Lied' by Edna St. Vincent Millay

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Renascence and Other Poems1917Time does not bring relief; you all have liedWho told me time would ease me of my pain!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;But last year's bitter loving must remain
Heaped on my heart, and my old thoughts abideThere are a hundred places where I fearTo go,-so with his memory they brim
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!"And so stand stricken, so remembering him!

Editor 1 Interpretation

Sonnet 02: Time Does Not Bring Relief; You All Have Lied by Edna St. Vincent Millay

As I sit down to explore the poem "Sonnet 02: Time Does Not Bring Relief; You All Have Lied" by Edna St. Vincent Millay, I am struck by the sheer brilliance of the words that she has put together. The poem is a sonnet, which means that it has a specific structure and rhyme scheme. However, what sets this poem apart is the way in which Millay uses language to express her thoughts and emotions.

Structure and Rhyme Scheme

The sonnet is structured into two parts - an octave and a sestet. The octave comprises of the first eight lines, while the sestet comprises of the remaining six. The rhyme scheme in the octave is ABBA ABBA, and in the sestet, it is CDCDCD. This structure and rhyme scheme are typical of Petrarchan sonnets, which originated in Italy and were popularized by the poet Francesco Petrarca.

Interpretation

The poem starts with the lines "Time does not bring relief; you all have lied / Who told me time would ease me of my pain!" These lines convey a sense of disillusionment and disappointment that the speaker feels towards the notion that time can heal all wounds. The speaker is addressing those who have told her that time will eventually make her pain go away. However, she feels that this is not true.

As the poem progresses, the speaker goes on to talk about the memories that haunt her. She says, "I miss him in the weeping of the rain; / I want him at the shrinking of the tide." The rain and the tide represent the passage of time, but instead of bringing relief to the speaker, they only serve to remind her of her loss. The speaker is unable to forget the person who has left her, and the memories of him continue to haunt her.

In the sestet, the speaker uses imagery to describe her pain. She says, "I cannot see him still; I cannot hide / I cannot be; away from him is pain." The speaker is unable to escape her pain, and the absence of the person she has lost only serves to make the pain more intense.

As the poem comes to a close, the speaker makes a plea to Time. She says, "O, I would walk a hundred years, a mile, / Just to behold upon his face, his smile." The speaker is willing to endure the pain for as long as it takes, just to see the person she has lost. This final plea is a poignant reminder of the depth of the speaker's emotions.

Literary Criticism

"Sonnet 02: Time Does Not Bring Relief; You All Have Lied" is a powerful poem that uses language to convey the depth of the speaker's emotions. Millay's use of imagery and metaphor is particularly impressive. The rain and the tide represent the passage of time, and the way in which they only serve to intensify the speaker's pain is a brilliant use of imagery.

The poem also highlights the theme of love and loss, which is a common theme in poetry. However, Millay's treatment of the theme is unique. She does not romanticize the pain of loss but instead presents it as something that is unbearable. The speaker's plea to Time at the end of the poem is a reminder that grief is a powerful emotion that can consume a person completely.

Conclusion

"Sonnet 02: Time Does Not Bring Relief; You All Have Lied" is a poem that is both beautiful and heartbreaking. Millay's command of language is evident, and the way in which she expresses the speaker's emotions is both powerful and moving. The poem is a reminder that grief is a universal emotion that transcends time and space. It is a poem that will stay with the reader long after they have finished reading it.

Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation

Edna St. Vincent Millay's "Time Does Not Bring Relief; You All Have Lied" is a powerful and emotional sonnet that explores the theme of heartbreak and the inability of time to heal the wounds of lost love. The poem is a testament to the enduring pain of heartbreak and the futility of seeking solace in the passage of time.

The poem begins with a powerful statement: "Time does not bring relief; you all have lied." This opening line sets the tone for the rest of the poem, which is a passionate and bitter rejection of the idea that time can heal all wounds. The speaker of the poem is clearly in a state of emotional turmoil, and she is angry at those who have told her that time will eventually ease her pain.

The second line of the poem, "Who told me time would ease me of my pain," further emphasizes the speaker's frustration and anger. She is clearly struggling to come to terms with the loss of her love, and she feels betrayed by those who have told her that time will eventually make things better.

The third line of the poem, "I missed him in the weeping of the rain," is a poignant and powerful image that captures the depth of the speaker's grief. The rain is often used as a symbol of sadness and mourning, and the fact that the speaker can still feel the pain of her loss even in the midst of the rain is a testament to the enduring nature of her grief.

The fourth line of the poem, "I want him at the shrinking of the tide," is another powerful image that captures the speaker's longing for her lost love. The tide is often used as a symbol of the ebb and flow of life, and the fact that the speaker wants her love to be with her even as the tide recedes is a testament to the depth of her feelings.

The fifth and sixth lines of the poem, "The old snows melt from every mountain-side, And last year's leaves are smoke in every lane," are a metaphor for the passage of time. The speaker is acknowledging that time does indeed pass, but she is also emphasizing that this passage of time does not bring relief from her pain.

The seventh and eighth lines of the poem, "But last year's bitter loving must remain, Heaped on my heart, and my old thoughts abide," are a powerful statement of the enduring nature of the speaker's grief. She is acknowledging that her love was bitter and painful, but she is also acknowledging that this love is still with her, and that it continues to weigh heavily on her heart.

The ninth and tenth lines of the poem, "There are a hundred places where I fear To go,—so with his memory they brim," are a testament to the power of memory. The speaker is acknowledging that her memories of her lost love are so strong that they prevent her from going to certain places. This is a powerful statement of the enduring nature of memory, and of the way in which memories can shape our lives.

The eleventh and twelfth lines of the poem, "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!'" are a powerful statement of the futility of seeking solace in the passage of time. The speaker is acknowledging that even when she enters a place where her lost love has never been, she still cannot escape the memories of him.

The final two lines of the poem, "And they, since they were not the one dead, turned to their affairs," are a powerful statement of the isolation that the speaker feels in her grief. She is acknowledging that those around her have moved on with their lives, but she is still trapped in her grief. This is a powerful statement of the enduring nature of grief, and of the way in which it can isolate us from those around us.

In conclusion, Edna St. Vincent Millay's "Time Does Not Bring Relief; You All Have Lied" is a powerful and emotional sonnet that explores the theme of heartbreak and the enduring nature of grief. The poem is a testament to the futility of seeking solace in the passage of time, and to the power of memory to shape our lives. The speaker of the poem is clearly in a state of emotional turmoil, and she is struggling to come to terms with the loss of her love. This is a powerful and moving poem that speaks to the universal experience of heartbreak and grief, and it is a testament to the enduring power of poetry to capture the complexities of human emotion.

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