The Spring And The Fall

"Sonnet V: If I should learn, in some quite casual way” by Edna St. Vincent Millay (1917)

In this sonnet from Renascence and Other Poems, Millay discusses the coming and going of love. Now, the scene moves from nature and spring and fall to a big city. In the poem, the speaker says if she found out that her lover died by looking at someone’s newspaper on the subway, she wouldn’t become upset. She wouldn’t cry nor wring her hands. Instead, she’d move her eyes to the articles about how to keep furs and take care of one’s hair. As with "The Spring and the Fall,” "Sonnet V” presents an acute portrayal of love. The speaker’s flippant approach to the hypothetical news of her dead lover is arguably a cover for her heartbreak, akin to the heartbreak the speaker experiences in "The Spring and the Fall.”

"First Fig” by Edna St. Vincent Millay (1920)

"First Fig” is perhaps Millay’s most well-known poem. At only four lines, the lyric captures her zest for life. Placed in conversation with "The Spring and the Fall,” it’s easier to understand why Millay’s speaker has a painful time holding onto love.