Summer, be Seen no More

Name: Summer, be Seen no More
Author: Edna St. Vincent Millay

The poem expresses a deep yearning for the absence of the warmer seasons, invoking a desire for winter's harshness to dominate the landscape. The speaker rejects the vibrancy and life associated with summer, autumn, and spring, associating them with painful memories and desires. Instead, they call for winter's cold and desolation, seeking solace in its bleakness. The imagery emphasizes a longing for a stark, unyielding environment that contrasts sharply with the emotional turmoil evoked by the other seasons. The speaker's plea for winter reflects a complex relationship with nature, where the harshness of winter is preferred over the reminders of lost joy and unfulfilled longing that the other seasons bring. The poem culminates in a stark farewell to the warmth and beauty of the natural world, embracing instead the solitude and silence of winter's embrace.

By Edna St. Vincent Millay · First published 1941 · Genre: Poetry, Nature Writing, Romanticism · 142 words

First lines

Summer, be seen no more within this wood; Nor you, red Autumn, down its paths appear; Let no more the false mitrewort intrude

Nor the dwarf cornel nor the gentian here; You too be absent, unavailing Spring, Nor let those thrushes that with pain conspire

From out this wood their wild arpeggios fling, Shaking the nerves with memory and desire. Only that season which is no man's friend, You, surly Winter, in this wood be found; Freeze up the year; with sleet these branches bend

Though rasps the locust in the fields around. Now darken, sky! Now shrieking blizzard, blow! -

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Summer, be Seen no More is listed on Textopian as a poem by Edna St. Vincent Millay, dated 1941 CE.

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Work type: Poem
Author: Edna St. Vincent Millay
Date: 1941 CE
Language: English
Genres: Poetry, Nature Writing, Romanticism, Symbolism, Modernism
Length: 142 words
Structure: 1 section, 5 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 nature and the passage of seasons.
Nature Writing — The poem vividly describes natural elements and seasonal changes, reflecting a deep connection to the environment.
Romanticism — The themes of emotion, nature, and individual experience align with Romantic literary ideals.
Symbolism — The poem uses symbols such as seasons to convey deeper meanings about life and memory.