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Poet: Edna St. Vincent Millay (Edna St. Vincent Millay Art)
Poem: Prayer To Persephone
Comment 5 of 5, added on September 21st, 2007 at 10:01 AM.
This poem is a fragment of a larger work, "Memorial to D.C." There are six poems in the work, an introduction and five others, each addressing a tradition of honoring and mourning the dead. There is an epitaph, a prayer {this poem}, a chorus, a dirge, and an elegy. In each of the poems, Millay puts forth admiration for the talents, the beauty, and the grace of the dead girl, but she also describes her as vain, superficial, and haughty. And thus, because Millay is honest in sharing her complete assessment of D.C., however ambivalent, we know her feelings of grief are genuine. The intensity of Millay's loss reverberates throughout the series of poems.
Terry Tryon from United States
Comment 4 of 5, added on March 29th, 2006 at 10:54 AM.
I love abi...abi is my life. I think i'll read this at our wedding...i sneeze too much
Will Craig from Georgia, Republic of
Comment 3 of 5, added on October 11th, 2005 at 8:54 PM.
I am not big on poetry, but this has been my favorite poem since I was 14. It's not just about Millay's friend in particular. It's also about mothers and daughters, and how as a child gets older, a mother can't protect her from everything.
Persephone's mother was Demeter, goddess of spring. She was so sad that her daughter was stolen away to the underworld that she made the world cold and lifeless for 6 months out of the year.
Isabel from United States
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Comments
This poem is a fragment of a larger work, "Memorial to D.C." There are six poems in the work, an introduction and five others, each addressing a tradition of honoring and mourning the dead. There is an epitaph, a prayer {this poem}, a chorus, a dirge, and an elegy. In each of the poems, Millay puts forth admiration for the talents, the beauty, and the grace of the dead girl, but she also describes her as vain, superficial, and haughty. And thus, because Millay is honest in sharing her complete assessment of D.C., however ambivalent, we know her feelings of grief are genuine. The intensity of Millay's loss reverberates throughout the series of poems.
Terry Tryon from United States