Renascence and Other Poems

the more i read her work i am impressed with the talent of esv millay, i also notice a taste of dickinson lying among the twigs of her works, i esp like the sonnets she is in several volumes but not in many collections other than one by aiken and another by untermeyer , so buy it and enjoy some lyric masterpieces ( esp the sonnets)

"These were the things that bounded me/And I could touch them with my hand/Almost, I thought, from where I stand/And all at once things seemed so small/My breath came short, and scarce at all..." Edna St. Vincent Millay made her fame with the publication of her very first poem, in "Renascence and Other Poems." While the poet has a few awkward moments here, her vibrant imagery and nature descriptions are enough to make even the lesser poetry absolutely lovely. It opens with her enchanting "Renascence," in which Millay explores the "Universe, cleft to the core." She wanders through the eternity of the universe -- God, death, the suffering living, and the exquisite beauties of the world. "The heart can push the sea and land/Farther away on either hand/The soul can split the sky in two/And let the face of God shine through..." From there on, Millay explores the same themes -- she writes with the beauty of nature, and describes love and loss (sometimes at the same time -- "I had you and I have you now no more"). She describes the beauties of a perfect autumn and flowered fields, wishes to start a tavern for grey-eyed people, ethereal witch-wives, coping with a broken heart, and haiku-like poems of "shattering." One of the most striking poems is "The Suicide," in which a disillusioned person cries out ""Curse thee, Life, I will live with thee no more!" But then the person comes to "my father's house" and speaks to God about the suicide -- receiving a surprising answer. At first glance, Millay's poetry seems very simplistic. Her lines tend to be short more often than not, her themes are simple. She doesn't strain for elaborate rhyming scenes or ultracomplex structure. Instead of more complex, self-conscious poetry, her work resembles songs. But the beauty of Millay's poetry is in the language -- the simplicity of the poems allows her exquisite word usage to come through. Metaphors are subtle (committing suicide is described as unlocking a latch). And it's loaded with descriptions of plants and rural beauty. "All the dog-wood blossoms are underneath the tree/Browned at the edges, turned in a day..." But it isn't only about pretty words. Millay knows how to tug at people's emotions. One poem describes a woman wandering after her lover's death, looking at books and flowers he left behind. In another, she laments, "Love has gone and left me,--and the neighbors knock and borrow/And life goes on forever like the gnawing of a mouse." "Renascence and Other Poems" is a beautiful piece of work, and a wonderful debut for this legendary poet. "I cannot but remember, when the year grows old..."

From high school American Literature I remember four writers that impressed myself and my friends: Edith Wharton, O. Henry, Edgar Lee Masters and Edna St. Vincent Millay. Therefore, I reread Renascence as part of a reading stroll down memory lane - and found again the elegence that impressed us many years ago.Many of these poems deal with grief and death including suicide. But beginning with the near-mystical Renascence there is a confidence in something more. Her skill is best shown in the sonnets, a form she used extensively as it is a near perfect fit for her sensibilities.She is very much a traditional in form and rhyme with much of her imagery being garden and flower. However, there are few times that the syntax becomes awkward or forced in order for her thoughts to fit the form. In short, this is a poetry book worth reading.

I was captured with the first lines. Never have I read more captivating words about life and losing someone of importance. I have looked for these words, the ones that expressed what I was feeling for many years and found them waiting in Edna's book. . .just incredible.

This book contains one of my favorite poems, "Ashes of Life." My copy of the book is hardcover from 1917, but the poem is the same no matter what printing you read.