Love, Though for this you Riddle me with Darts

Name: Love, Though for this you Riddle me with Darts
Author: Edna St. Vincent Millay

The poem explores the complex relationship between love and pain, presenting love as a powerful yet tormenting force. The speaker acknowledges the suffering inflicted by love, likening it to being riddled with darts and dragged by a chariot, suggesting a sense of helplessness and vulnerability. Despite this, the speaker asserts their freedom from the conventional worship of love, positioning themselves as a fool who willingly exposes themselves to love's dangers. The speaker critiques those who glorify love, indicating that their proclamations of love's might are hollow. The imagery of arrows and quivers symbolizes the dual nature of love—its ability to inflict both desire and pain. The speaker expresses a defiance against love's power, claiming that it cannot evoke true desire or pain in them, thus challenging the traditional narrative of love as an all-consuming force. The poem culminates in a bold declaration of independence from love's dictates, suggesting that the speaker is unafraid of the consequences of their blasphemy against love. The final lines hint at a desire for love's arrows, indicating a complex yearning for the very thing that causes suffering. Overall, the work encapsulates the tension between the allure of love and the pain it brings, ultimately asserting the speaker's autonomy in the face of such a powerful emotion.

By Edna St. Vincent Millay · First published 1920 · Genre: Poetry, Romanticism, Modernism · 159 words

First lines

Love, though for this you riddle me with darts, And drag me at your chariot till I die,- Oh, heavy prince! Oh, panderer of hearts! -

Yet hear me tell how in their throats they lie

Who shout you mighty: thick about my hair, Day in, day out, your ominous arrows purr, Who still am free, unto no querulous care

A fool, and in no temple worshiper! I, that have bared me to your quiver's fire, Lifted my face into its puny rain, Do wreathe you Impotent to Evoke Desire

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Love, Though for this you Riddle me with Darts 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 Poetry, Dramatic Monologue
Length: 159 words
Structure: 1 section, 6 paragraphs
Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)

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Similar titles

Genres

Poetry — The work is a poem that employs lyrical language and explores themes of love and desire.
Romanticism — The poem reflects romantic themes, focusing on intense emotions and the complexities of love.
Modernism — The poem's structure and themes align with modernist tendencies, including a focus on individual experience and emotional depth.
Lyric Poetry — The poem expresses personal feelings and thoughts, characteristic of lyric poetry.