First Fig

My candle burns at both ends;

It will not last the night;

But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends—

It gives a lovely light!

MARGINALIA

Still melancholy. I think I have failed you, March. I promised thirty-one poems and I am nowhere near there. I was fretting about this a few weeks ago, when my father, in a rare occasion where he acknowledges the fact that I write, told me to let it go and just let things happen. You cannot force it, he tells me. You can only sit and wait and then bleed (I am still wondering now if he was quoting Hemingway). He says this so casually before turning back to his work, like nothing happened. I am still stunned.

ABOUT EDNA ST. VINCENT MILLAY

Edna St. Vincent Millay was born in Rockland, Maine, on February 22, 1892. In 1917, Millay published her first book,   Renascence and Other Poems   (Harper, 1917). She published   A Few Figs from Thistles   (Harper & Brothers, 1920), a volume of poetry which drew much attention for its controversial descriptions of female sexuality and feminism. In 1923, Millay was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for The Ballad of the Harp-Weaver (Flying Cloud Press, 1922). She also wrote the libretto of one of the …  (more)

Edna St. Vincent Millay was born in Rockland, Maine, on February 22, 1892. In 1917, Millay published her first book,   Renascence and Other Poems   (Harper, 1917). She published   A Few Figs from Thistles   (Harper & Brothers, 1920), a volume of poetry which drew much attention for its controversial descriptions of female sexuality and feminism. In 1923, Millay was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for The Ballad of the Harp-Weaver (Flying Cloud Press, 1922). She also wrote the libretto of one of the few American grand operas,   The King’s Henchman   (Harper & Brothers, 1927). Edna St. Vincent Millay died on October 18, 1950, in Austerlitz, New York. ( Source )

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