Oh, oh, you will be sorry for that word!
Give me back my book and take my kiss instead.
Was it my enemy or my friend I heard,
“What a big book for such a little head!”
Come, I will show you now my newest hat,
And you may watch me purse my mouth and prink!
Oh, I shall love you still, and all of that.
I never again shall tell you what I think.
I shall be sweet and crafty, soft and sly;
You will not catch me reading any more:
I shall be called a wife to pattern by;
And some day when you knock and push the door,
Some sane day, not too bright and not too stormy,
I shall be gone, and you may whistle for me.

Analysis, meaning and summary of Edna St. Vincent Millay's poem Oh, Oh, You Will Be Sorry

2 Comments

  1. maria says:

    this poem is sad because that women had to go through demands possibly from a man but satisfying at the same time because she sarcastically said out loud her inner thoughts

  2. Mary Lee says:

    I love this poem for its rebelliousness and for the strength of the narrator. Her outrage is what so many women feel or have felt when they are demeened. I have thought the last line in my head when I was particularly wounded by a patronizing comment or act, and it gave me heart to keep on going.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Do you have any comments, criticism, paraphrasis or analysis of this poem that you feel would assist other visitors in understanding the meaning or the theme of this poem by Edna St. Vincent Millay better? If accepted, your analysis will be added to this page of American Poems. Together we can build a wealth of information, but it will take some discipline and determination.