Question

“Thou are not lovelier than lilacs”

by Edna St. Vincent Millay

Thou art not lovelier than lilacs,—no,
Nor honeysuckle; thou art not more fair
Than small white single poppies,—I can bear
Thy beauty; though I bend before thee, though
From left to right, not knowing where to go,
I turn my troubled eyes, nor here nor there
Find any refuge from thee, yet I swear
So has it been with mist,—with moonlight so.
Like him who day by day unto his draught
Of delicate poison adds him one drop more
Till he may drink unharmed the death of ten,
Even so, inured to beauty, who have quaffed
Each hour more deeply than the hour before,
I drink—and live—what has destroyed some men.

draught – n. Drink.

inured – v. To become accustomed to; hardened.

quaffed – v. To drink with enjoyment.

Source: Millay, Edna St. Vincent. "Edna St. Vincent Millay." Sonnets.org. Sonnet Central, 20 Mar. 2011. Web. 12 Apr. 2011.



Compare Millay’s poem to Shakespeare’s Sonnet 130 in terms of time period, imagery, and diction.

Answer 1

While the poems were written centuries apart, they have many similarities. Both poems are sonnets that use comparisons but in an unusual way. Each tells what the love is not lovelier than. Both poems use imagery involving nature, and both use vivid word choice. While Millay does state her love is not more beautiful than "small white poppies," she "bend[s] before" him in awe. Shakespeare makes a point of stating that his love is an ordinary woman, not a goddess. Both poets use careful diction and poetic language. Shakespeare uses "hath," and inverts sentences. Millay uses "thy" and "thou" along with other archaic words. Her line, "lovelier than lilacs" is an example of her choosing words for their sound as much as their meaning. The lines "day by day unto his draught/of delicate poison adds him one drop more" also illustrates her concern for the sound of the poem. Love and lovers seem little changed over the centuries!