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Edna St. Vincent MillayA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
“First Fig” by Edna St. Vincent Millay (1920)
“First Fig” is one of Millay’s most famous poems. Unlike “An Ancient Gesture,” the form is organized. The lines are even, and there’s a predictable rhyme scheme. Although “First Fig” and “An Ancient Gesture” each convey the theme of unrelenting activity, “First Fig” presents a positive, almost glamorous picture of a frenzied lifestyle as it “gives a lovely light!” (Line 4). The light isn’t lovely in “An Ancient Gesture,” and Penelope’s candle doesn’t burn “at both ends” (Line 1). It burns at one end—struggle. If “An Ancient Gesture” is a partly autobiographical poem, it suggests that Millay’s candle began to burn only at one end near the end of her life. It wasn’t fun and hard work, like it appears in “First Fig”—it was just hard work.
“Ebb” by Edna St. Vincent Millay (1922)
In “An Ancient Gesture,” one of the reasons why Penelope cries is because of her missing husband. In “Ebb,” Millay also explores how a missing romantic partner can leave a person feeling distraught. Instead of focusing on tears, Millay focuses on her speaker’s heart. The departure of her lover has left it “tepid” (Line 6) and shriveled.
By Edna St. Vincent Millay
Conscientious Objector
Edna St. Vincent Millay
Ebb
Edna St. Vincent Millay
I Will Put Chaos Into Fourteen Lines
Edna St. Vincent Millay
Lament
Edna St. Vincent Millay
Not In A Silver Casket Cool With Pearls
Edna St. Vincent Millay
Song of a Second April
Edna St. Vincent Millay
Spring
Edna St. Vincent Millay
The Ballad of the Harp-Weaver
Edna St. Vincent Millay
The Courage That My Mother Had
Edna St. Vincent Millay
The Spring And The Fall
Edna St. Vincent Millay
Travel
Edna St. Vincent Millay