Sonnet 01: Thou Art Not Lovelier Than Lilacs,—No - A poem by Edna St. Vincent Millay


Poets \| Members \| Poem of the Day \| Top 40 \| Search \| Comments \| Privacy July 26th, 2008 - we have 237 poets, 8036 poems and 17725 comments.

Edna St. Vincent Millay - Sonnet 01: Thou Art Not Lovelier Than Lilacs,—No

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.

Added: on January 4th, 2005 at 2:25 AM | Viewed: 3844 times | Comments and analysis of Sonnet 01: Thou Art Not Lovelier Than Lilacs,—No by Edna St. Vincent Millay Comments (2)

Sonnet 01: Thou Art Not Lovelier Than Lilacs,—No - Comments and Information
Poet: Edna St. Vincent Millay Poem: 1. Sonnet 01: Thou Art Not Lovelier Than Lilacs,—No Volume: Renascence and Other Poems - Sonnets Year: Published/Written in 1917 Poem of the Day: Jan 4 2005 Comment 2 of 2, added on January 25th, 2005 at 1:00 PM. I am 54 years old and have loved Millay's poetry since my earyly 20's. If one has ever had a crazy lover and wished there was a form of "love insurance", here it is in this sonnet. Gary Hudson from Canada Comment 1 of 2, added on January 4th, 2005 at 2:25 AM. Sometimes a poem can come out of its ghostly cracks and frighten one with such force and intimacy that one might think it were written not by any poet for the mere sake of poetry, but by some secreted self destined to strip the soul bare--my heart has just stopped for a moment on this one. I feel every ounce of this, I drink the poison mentioned, I am there fully in the contracted spasm of muscle. It is impeccable. A sonnet to rival any Shakespeare could ever have written. Take it out of love and put it in any context and you will see your dream of a stalwart life. Brian Chung from United States More Comments >> Are you looking for more information on this poem? Perhaps you are trying to analyze it? The poem, Sonnet 01: Thou Art Not Lovelier Than Lilacs,—No, has received 2 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: 1. Sonnet 01: Thou Art Not Lovelier Than Lilacs,—No Volume: Renascence and Other Poems - Sonnets Year: Published/Written in 1917 Last read: Jul 25 2008, 8:53AM Poem of the Day: Jan 4 2005 Viewed 3844 times. Added on January 4th, 2005 at 2:25 AM.

Millay Info
Biography More Poems (165 poems) Books