Cherish you then the Hope I Shall Forget

Name: Cherish you then the Hope I Shall Forget
Author: Edna St. Vincent Millay

The poem explores themes of love, memory, and the tension between human desire and spiritual transcendence. The speaker addresses a beloved, urging them to cherish the hope of forgetting her. She grapples with the physicality of human existence, represented by her "mouth of clay" and "mortal bones," contrasting it with the ethereal nature of love and memory. The speaker acknowledges the pain and frailty of human love, suggesting that it is a burden that can overshadow the purity of her soul. She expresses a desire for her beloved to renounce the physical aspects of their relationship in favor of a higher, more spiritual connection. Despite this, she recognizes that her beloved will eventually awaken from dreams of their shared intimacy, realizing her absence. The poem reflects on the inevitability of loss and the enduring nature of love, suggesting that while the speaker may be physically gone, her essence will linger in the memories of her beloved. The interplay between the tangible and the intangible highlights the complexity of human emotions and the struggle to reconcile them with the desire for spiritual freedom. Ultimately, the work captures the bittersweet nature of love, where the longing for connection is intertwined with the acceptance of separation.

By Edna St. Vincent Millay · First published 1921 · Genre: Poetry, Romanticism, Lyric · 155 words

First lines

Cherish you then the hope I shall forget

At length, my lord, Pieria? -put away

For your so passing sake, this mouth of clay, These mortal bones against my body set, For all the puny fever and frail sweat

Of human love,-renounce for these, I say, The Singing Mountain's memory, and betray

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Cherish you then the Hope I Shall Forget is listed on Textopian as a poem by Edna St. Vincent Millay, dated 1921 CE.

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Work type: Poem
Author: Edna St. Vincent Millay
Date: 1921 CE
Language: English
Genres: Poetry, Romanticism, Lyric, Modernism, Existentialism
Length: 155 words
Structure: 1 section, 6 paragraphs
Reading fit: Fairly Difficult (10th-12th Grade)

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Genres

Poetry — The work is a poem, characterized by its use of meter, rhyme, and expressive language.
Romanticism — The themes of love, longing, and emotional depth align with the Romantic movement.
Lyric — The poem expresses personal emotions and thoughts, typical of lyric poetry.
Modernism — The introspective nature and exploration of complex emotions reflect modernist themes.