Conscientious Objector - A poem by Edna St. Vincent Millay


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Edna St. Vincent Millay - Conscientious Objector

I shall die, but 
that is all that I shall do for Death.
I hear him leading his horse out of the stall; 
I hear the clatter on the barn-floor.
He is in haste; he has business in Cuba,
business in the Balkans, many calls to make this morning.
But I will not hold the bridle
while he clinches the girth.
And he may mount by himself: 
I will not give him a leg up. 

Though he flick my shoulders with his whip,
I will not tell him which way the fox ran.
With his hoof on my breast, I will not tell him where 
the black boy hides in the swamp.
I shall die, but that is all that I shall do for Death;
I am not on his pay-roll. 

I will not tell him the whereabout of my friends 
nor of my enemies either.
Though he promise me much, 
I will not map him the route to any man's door.
Am I a spy in the land of the living,
that I should deliver men to Death?
Brother, the password and the plans of our city 
are safe with me; never through me Shall you be overcome.

Added: on September 28th, 2005 at 6:29 PM | Viewed: 6834 times | Comments and analysis of Conscientious Objector by Edna St. Vincent Millay Comments (3)

Conscientious Objector - Comments and Information
Poet: Edna St. Vincent Millay Poem: Conscientious Objector Comment 3 of 3, added on July 11th, 2007 at 4:59 PM. Just had parts of this recited at a Quaker Meeting. Very powerful. If anyone who reads it has quaker friends, copy it to them! Rob Holland from United Kingdom Comment 2 of 3, added on December 28th, 2005 at 6:53 AM. vincent's mention of the balkans may be a reference to the first world war; as if began in 1914 in sarajevo, bosnia with the assassination of the austro-hungarian prince, ferninand. i wonder then: could the reference to cuba be intended as the spanish-american war of 1898? american participation in that misadventure was primarily in cuba. both wars were waged immediately prior to the creation of this poem, which i believe was written in the 1930s. the next american war was, of course, world war two. i don't believe that the poem is primarily about war however. a poet will always object to choas and venality, and it seems to me that this is vincent's critique of the world-wide malaise that was beginning to envelope the entire world. it is the pre-condition, the oncoming horror that she is recoiling from here. and she bravely asserts that she wants no part of the duplicity that will lead to death. bob from United States Comment 1 of 3, added on September 28th, 2005 at 6:29 PM. Why does she choose to mention Cuba and the Balkans our of all places? Jennifer from United States More Comments >> Are you looking for more information on this poem? Perhaps you are trying to analyze it? The poem, Conscientious Objector, has received 3 comments. Click here to read them, and perhaps post a comment of your own. Of course you can also always discuss poems by Edna St. Vincent Millay with others on the American Poems poetry forum!

Poem Info
Poet: Edna St. Vincent Millay Poem: Conscientious Objector Last read: Jul 9 2008, 11:55AM Viewed 6834 times. Added on September 28th, 2005 at 6:29 PM.

Millay Info
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