Sonnets 08: And You As Well Must Die, Beloved Dust - A poem by Edna St. Vincent Millay


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Edna St. Vincent Millay - Sonnets 08: And You As Well Must Die, Beloved Dust

And you as well must die, beloved dust,
And all your beauty stand you in no stead;
This flawless, vital hand, this perfect head,
This body of flame and steel, before the gust
Of Death, or under his autumnal frost,
Shall be as any leaf, be no less dead
Than the first leaf that fell,--this wonder fled.
Altered, estranged, disintegrated, lost.
Nor shall my love avail you in your hour.
In spite of all my love, you will arise
Upon that day and wander down the air
Obscurely as the unattended flower,
It mattering not how beautiful you were,
Or how beloved above all else that dies.

Added: on November 27th, 2005 at 8:51 PM | Viewed: 2095 times | Comments and analysis of Sonnets 08: And You As Well Must Die, Beloved Dust by Edna St. Vincent Millay Comments (2)

Sonnets 08: And You As Well Must Die, Beloved Dust - Comments and Information
Poet: Edna St. Vincent Millay Poem: Sonnets 08: And You As Well Must Die, Beloved Dust Comment 2 of 2, added on March 25th, 2008 at 10:55 AM. I first read this poem when I was engaged to my wife--and I couldn't imagine her youth and beauty conquered by death. I still can't. Fortunately we are both still alive and in love; and I view this poignant poem with a degree of trepidation, as some people watch horror films. I can read the poem and be affected by it and weep; and then go in and hold her close. I dread the day I will have to read the poem without her. John Youngblood from United States Comment 1 of 2, added on November 27th, 2005 at 8:51 PM. I first read this poem at age 19, while watching my mother slowly die of breast Cancer. It immediatly struck a cord. It expressed the utter helplessness in the inevitability of death. It also showed man no less vulnerable to the cycle of life than the leaves on the trees or the wilting flowers. Our death is just as inevitable, and as unimpoertant to the earth. Angela from United States More Comments >> Are you looking for more information on this poem? Perhaps you are trying to analyze it? The poem, Sonnets 08: And You As Well Must Die, Beloved Dust, 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: Sonnets 08: And You As Well Must Die, Beloved Dust Last read: Jul 24 2008, 10:46AM Viewed 2095 times. Added on November 27th, 2005 at 8:51 PM.

Millay Info
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