Edna won a scholarship to Vassar and upon graduation (1917) moved to Greenwich Village, where she led a notoriously Bohemian life; "very, very poor and very, very merry". Below, is one of my favourite poems, perfect for this season too.
Untitled [I know I am but summer to your heart]
I know I am but summer to your heart,
And not the full four seasons of the year;
And you must welcome from another part
Such noble moods as are not mine, my dear.
No gracious weight of golden fruits to sell
Have I, nor any wise and wintry thing;
And I have loved you all too long and well
To carry still the high sweet breast of Spring.
Wherefore I say: O love, as summer goes,
I must be gone, steal forth with silent drums,
That you may hail anew the bird and rose
When I come back to you, as summer comes.
Else will you seek, at some not distant time,
Even your summer in another clime.
Books: The Selected Poetry of Edna St. Vincent Millay (Modern Library Classics)
Savage Beauty: The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay
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I admire so much Edna St. Vincent Millay. Her poetry is marvelous and her playwrights are thought provoking.
ReplyDeleteI love your blog so much! Especially the posts about inspiring women.
i've loved edna st vincent millay ever since high school. nice to have a little reminder first thing in the morning. i came to mary oliver much later in life. it's always a treat when you sprinkle in one of her poems.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! I didn't know her! I'm studying english and it's a pleasure to find writers like her!
ReplyDeleteahhh!! edna! than you. she's been one of my favorites for a long time. have read a couple bios on her.
ReplyDeleteThank you, didn't know this~
ReplyDeletecried when i read that poem just now, it is lovely and the photograph of her is the poem itself.
ReplyDeleteread savage beauty. great book.
ReplyDeletesomehow I knew there was a post coming on her. How did I know? Um, because she's my favourite poet of all time EVER. I'm a massive ginormous Edna freak. Like I sometimes just recite lines of hers under my breath when i'm thinking or driving or concentrating -- that kind of freak. When I first visited NYC with my now husband, the first place we had to visit was a place she lived in the Village...just so we could see it and the plaque...Also, she's another reason why I love Maine so much...OK, I should stop now. Thanks Jane! BTW, my favourite (if I could pick one) is:
ReplyDeleteFirst Fig
My candle burns at both ends;
It will not last the night;
But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends-
I gives a lovely light.
love her and her words so so much. plus, because of her, i always dreamt of going to vassar.
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