A Poem from Edna St. Vincent Millay: Grown-up Was it for this I uttered prayers, And sobbed and cursed and kicked the stairs, That now, domestic as a plate, I should retire at half-past eight?
Edna St. Vincent MillayRead
Lord I do fear / Thou'st made the world too beautiful this year.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The beauty of the world can be overwhelming and lead to fear of loss or change.
In this quote, Edna St. Vincent Millay expresses a deep sense of awe and trepidation in response to the worldβs beauty, suggesting that such overwhelming splendor can evoke fear about its fleeting nature. The speaker feels that the richness and vibrancy of life, when fully appreciated, reveals a stark contrast to the inevitability of change and loss, provoking a mixed emotional response of admiration and anxiety.
Themes
BeautyFearNatureChangeLife
In practice
Example use cases
Sharing this quote during a poetry reading to discuss the intersection of beauty and fear.
More from Edna St. Vincent Millay
All quotes βChildhood is not from birth to a certain age and at a certain age. The child is grown, and puts away childish things. Childhood is the kingdom where nobody dies.
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I went to Boston fully expecting to be arrested - arrested by a polizia created by a government that my ancestors rebelled to establish.
Edna St. Vincent MillayRead
Listen, children: Your father is dead. From his old coats I'll make you little jackets; I'll make you little trousers From his old pants. There'll be in his pockets Things he used to put there, Keys and pennies Covered with tobacco; Dan shall have the pennies To save in his bank; Anne shall have the keys To make a pretty noise with. Life must go on, Though good men die; Anne, eat your breakfast; Dan, take your medicine; Life must go on; I forget just why.
Edna St. Vincent MillayRead
I would I were alive again To kiss the fingers of the rain, To drink into my eyes the shine Of every slanting silver line, To catch the freshened, fragrant breeze From drenched and dripping apple-trees. For soon the shower will be done, And then the broad face of the sun Will laugh above the rain-soaked earth Until the world with answering mirth Shakes joyously, and each round drop Rolls twinkling, from its grass-blade top.
Edna St. Vincent MillayRead
I drank at every vine, the last was like the first. I came upon no wine so wonderful as thirst.
Edna St. Vincent MillayRead
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