I Shall Forget you Presently

Name: I Shall Forget you Presently
Author: Edna St. Vincent Millay

The poem explores themes of love, memory, and the transient nature of relationships. The speaker acknowledges the inevitability of forgetting a beloved person, emphasizing the fleeting nature of time and affection. The initial tone is both playful and melancholic, as the speaker urges the beloved to cherish their time together, knowing it is limited. The speaker reflects on the impermanence of love, suggesting that despite the intensity of feelings, they are ultimately fragile and subject to the passage of time. The use of phrases like "little day" and "little month" underscores the brevity of their connection. The speaker expresses a desire for love to endure longer and for promises to hold more weight, yet recognizes the reality that nature dictates otherwise. As the poem progresses, the speaker grapples with the tension between the desire to hold onto memories and the acceptance of their eventual fading. The acknowledgment that "whether or not we find what we are seeking is idle" suggests a philosophical resignation to the unpredictability of love and life. The speaker's tone shifts from a playful challenge to a more contemplative acceptance of the inevitable. Ultimately, the work captures the bittersweet essence of love, highlighting both its beauty and its transience. The speaker's resolve to forget is juxtaposed with a longing for permanence, creating a poignant reflection on human connections and the passage of time. The poem serves as a meditation on the complexities of love, memory, and the acceptance of life's impermanence.

By Edna St. Vincent Millay · First published 1920 · Genre: Poetry, Romanticism, Modernism · 152 words

First lines

I shall forget you presently, my dear, So make the most of this, your little day, Your little month, your little half a year, Ere I forget, or die, or move away, And we are done forever; by and by

I shall forget you, as I said, but now, If you entreat me with your loveliest lie

I will protest you with my favourite vow. I would indeed that love were longer-lived, And oaths were not so brittle as they are, But so it is, and nature has contrived

To struggle on without a break thus far,-

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I Shall Forget you Presently is listed on Textopian as a poem by Edna St. Vincent Millay, dated 1920 CE.

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Work type: Poem
Author: Edna St. Vincent Millay
Date: 1920 CE
Language: English
Genres: Poetry, Romanticism, Modernism, Lyric, Existentialism
Length: 152 words
Structure: 1 section, 6 paragraphs
Reading fit: Difficult (College Level)

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Similar titles

Genres

Poetry — The work is a poem that explores themes of love, memory, and the transient nature of relationships.
Romanticism — The poem reflects romantic themes, focusing on love and emotional expression.
Modernism — The poem employs modernist techniques, such as a conversational tone and introspective themes.
Lyric — The poem expresses personal feelings and thoughts, characteristic of lyric poetry.