Pity Me by Edna St. Vincent Millay
The poem explores themes of love, loss, and the passage of time. The speaker addresses a potential lover, urging them not to feel pity for her fading beauty or the inevitable changes that come with time. She reflects on the transient nature of life, comparing love to natural phenomena—like the waning moon and the ebbing tide—emphasizing that these changes are a part of existence. The speaker acknowledges the inevitability of love's decline, suggesting that it is as fleeting as the seasons and the elements. She expresses a sense of resignation to the fact that love is often short-lived and subject to external forces, much like the wind that disrupts blossoms. The heart, she notes, is slow to accept these truths, while the mind recognizes the impermanence of desire and affection. Ultimately, the poem conveys a poignant acceptance of life's cycles, urging a recognition of the beauty in transience rather than a lamentation for what is lost. The speaker's plea is for understanding rather than sympathy, highlighting the complexity of human emotions and the wisdom gained through experience.
By Edna St. Vincent Millay · First published 1920 · Genre: Lyric Poetry, Romanticism, Modernism · 147 words
First lines
Pity me not because the light of day
At close of day no longer walks the sky; Pity me not for beauties passed away
From field and thicket as the year goes by; Pity me not the waning of the moon , Nor that the ebbing tide goes out to sea, Nor that a man's desire is hushed so soon, And you no longer look wit h love on me . This have I known always: Love is no more
Than the wide blossom which the wind assails, Than the great tide that treads the shifting shore, Strewing fresh wreckage gathered in the gales:
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Pity Me 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: Lyric Poetry, Romanticism, Modernism, Philosophical Poetry, Nature Poetry
- Length: 147 words
- Structure: 1 section, 6 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Difficult (College Level)
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Similar titles
- Lines Written In Recapitulation by Edna St Vincent Millay
- From Spring Days To Winter by Oscar Wilde
- How Did I Bear It by Edna St Vincent Millay
- The Wind Of Sorrow Sonnets by Henry Van Dyke
- Comfort In Tears by Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
- The Woman Who Loves by Ranier Maria Rilke
Genres
- Lyric Poetry — The poem expresses personal emotions and reflections, characteristic of lyric poetry.
- Romanticism — Themes of love, nature, and the passage of time align with Romantic ideals.
- Modernism — The poem's introspective nature and exploration of transient beauty reflect modernist themes.
- Philosophical Poetry — The poem contemplates deeper existential themes regarding love and loss.
Tags
Poetry · Autobiographical · Memoir · Personal · Emotional · Vulnerable · Introspective · Confessional · Literary · Classical · Romantic · Tragic
More by Edna St. Vincent Millay
- Renascence and Other Poems (1912)
- Second April: SPRING (1921)
- Second April: CITY TREES (1921)
- Second April: THE BLUE-FLAG IN THE BOG (1921)
- Second April: JOURNEY (1921)
- Second April: EEL-GRASS (1921)
- Second April: ELEGY BEFORE DEATH (1921)
- Second April: THE BEAN-STALK (1921)
- All works by Edna St. Vincent Millay