Renascence and Other Poems
Renascence
Interim
The Suicide
God's World
Afternoon on a Hill
Sorrow
Tavern
Ashes of Life
The Little Ghost
Kin to Sorrow
Three Songs of Shattering
The Shroud
The Dream
Indifference
Witch-Wife
Blight
When the Year Grows Old
"Thou art not lovelier than lilacs,?no"
"Time does not bring relief; you all have lied"
"Mindful of you the sodden earth in spring"
"Not in this chamber only at my birth"
"If I should learn, in some quite casual way"
Bluebeard
A Few Figs from Thistles
First Fig
Second Fig
Recuerdo
Thursday
To the Not Impossible Him
MacDougal Street
The Singing-Woman from the Wood's Edge
She is Overheard Singing
The Prisoner
The Unexplorer
Grown-up
The Penitent
Daphne
Portrait by a Neighbor
Midnight Oil
The Merry Maid
To Kathleen
To S. M.
The Philosopher
FOUR SONNETS
Second April
Spring
City Trees
The Blue-Flag in the Bog
Journey
Eel-Grass
Elegy Before Death
The Bean-Stalk
Weeds
Passer Mortuus Est
Pastoral
Assault
Travel
Low-Tide
Song of a Second April
Rosemary
The Poet and His Book
Alms
Inland
To a Poet That Died Young
Wraith
Ebb
Elaine
Burial
Mariposa
The Little Hill
Doubt No More That Oberon
Lament
Exiled
The Death of Autumn
Ode to Silence
MEMORIAL TO D.C.
Epitaph
Prayer to Persephone
Chorus
Elegy
Dirge
TWELVE SONNETS
Wild Swans
Index of First Lines

One of the most successful poets in America and a fascinating literary figure of the early twentieth century, Edna St. Vincent Millay found her voice in a national poetry contest at the age of twenty. Her poems received critical praise and became the first step toward receiving the Pulitzer Award years later. An acclaimed poet of the Jazz Age, this liberated, often rebellious, woman enchanted us with her beautiful sonnets and lyrics, even as she surprised us with her unconventional personal life. This vibrant volume includes the complete selection of poems from Millay's first three books. Each gem reflects a different facet of the author's versatility.
Renascence and Other Poems was Millay's first collection of poetry, a literary sensation when it was published in 1912. Acclaimed by critics for its remarkable use of compelling language and imagery, it is a deeply personal work that reflects the poet's spiritual awakening, using the themes of death and resurrection. In contrast, the poetry in A Few Figs from Thistles represents a cynical stage, a time of rebellion, and a search for personal freedom, as depicted in her famous line, "My candle burns at both ends." Part beauty, part despair, the free verse and heartfelt sonnets of Second April are an expression of Millay's feelings about love and disillusionment. Eloquent, daring, and sometimes bittersweet, these masterful lyrics exemplify the best work of a complex, passionate, and gifted poet. Includes a selection from the Common Core State Standards Initiative: "Afternoon on a Hill."

Edna St. Vincent Millay found her voice in a national poetry contest at the age of 20. In 1912, she won a prize for Renascence, just the first of many poems to win critical acclaim. The most famous poet of the Jazz Age, her passionate lyrics center on themes of spiritual awakening, love and personal freedom. In 1923, she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for her fourth volume of poems, The Harp Weaver.