When I too Long have Looked Upon your Face

Name: When I too Long have Looked Upon your Face
Author: Edna St. Vincent Millay

The poem explores the intense emotional and psychological effects of love and beauty. The speaker reflects on the overwhelming nature of their feelings when gazing upon a beloved's face, which symbolizes both radiant beauty and an almost unbearable intensity. This beauty captivates the speaker, leading to a sense of disorientation and loss of clarity, akin to being blinded by the sun. As the speaker turns away from this brilliance, they experience a profound sense of reluctance and confusion. The act of looking too long at such beauty results in a feeling of being undone, as if the speaker's mind cannot cope with the overwhelming emotions stirred by the beloved. The imagery of light and darkness serves to illustrate the contrast between the allure of love and the subsequent withdrawal into a more mundane existence. In the aftermath of this encounter, the speaker describes their daily life as constricted and filled with uncertainty. The familiar surroundings become alien, and the speaker must navigate through a metaphorical darkness, seeking to adjust to a reality that feels diminished without the presence of the beloved. The struggle to acclimate to this darkness highlights the profound impact of love on the speaker's perception of the world. Ultimately, the poem captures the duality of love: its capacity to illuminate and inspire, as well as its potential to disorient and isolate. The speaker's journey reflects a deep internal conflict between the desire for connection and the fear of being overwhelmed by that very connection. The work encapsulates the complexities of human emotion, particularly in relation to beauty and longing.

By Edna St. Vincent Millay · First published 1920 · Genre: Lyric Poetry, Romanticism, Modernism · 140 words

First lines

When I too long have looked upon your face, Wherein for me a brightness unobscured

Save by the mists of brightness has its place, And terrible beauty not to be endured, I turn away reluctant from your light, And stand irresolute, a mind undone, A silly, dazzled thing deprived of sight

From having looked too long upon the sun.

Then is my daily life a narrow room

What this Textopian page supports

When I too Long have Looked Upon your Face 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, Symbolism, Existentialism
Length: 140 words
Structure: 1 section, 6 paragraphs
Reading fit: Difficult (College Level)

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Similar titles

Genres

Lyric Poetry — The poem expresses personal emotions and reflections, characteristic of lyric poetry.
Romanticism — Themes of beauty, love, and emotional intensity align with Romantic ideals.
Modernism — The poem's introspective nature and exploration of perception reflect modernist themes.
Symbolism — The use of imagery and metaphor conveys deeper meanings, typical of Symbolist poetry.