You Made Me A Fool Of Death With Your Beauty
Love is a complex emotion that can make people do crazy things. It can make us feel euphoric, but it can also cause us pain. The poem "You Made Me A Fool Of Death With Your Beauty" by Edna St. Vincent Millay explores the bittersweet nature of love and how it can lead us to our own demise.
The Poet: Edna St. Vincent Millay
Edna St. Vincent Millay was an American poet and playwright who was born in 1892. She was the first woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1923. Millay was known for her unconventional lifestyle and her feminist views. She was a member of the literary group known as the "Lost Generation," which included writers such as Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald.
The Poem: You Made Me A Fool Of Death With Your Beauty
The poem "You Made Me A Fool Of Death With Your Beauty" was written by Edna St. Vincent Millay in 1920. The poem is a sonnet, which is a type of poem that has 14 lines and follows a specific rhyme scheme. The poem explores the theme of love and how it can be both beautiful and destructive.
The poem begins with the speaker addressing their lover, saying "You made me a fool of death with your beauty." This line suggests that the speaker is willing to do anything for their lover, even if it means risking their own life. The speaker goes on to describe their lover's beauty in vivid detail, saying "Your mouth is wine, your body is honey and milk." These images suggest that the speaker finds their lover irresistible and intoxicating.
However, the poem takes a darker turn in the second half. The speaker says "I have made the wine of life from dear desire, From dust I have made the honey of my heart." These lines suggest that the speaker has sacrificed everything for their lover, and that their love has consumed them completely. The final two lines of the poem are particularly powerful: "And in your heart my heart has made its grave, Like softening wax beneath the summer sun." These lines suggest that the speaker's love for their lover has led to their own demise, and that they are now trapped in a cycle of love and destruction.
The Theme of Love and Death
The theme of love and death is a common one in literature, and it is particularly prevalent in the work of Edna St. Vincent Millay. Millay's poetry often explores the darker side of love, and how it can lead to pain and destruction. In "You Made Me A Fool Of Death With Your Beauty," the speaker's love for their lover is so intense that it ultimately leads to their own demise. This theme of love and death is a powerful reminder of the risks that come with falling in love, and the potential consequences of giving oneself over completely to another person.
Conclusion
"You Made Me A Fool Of Death With Your Beauty" is a powerful and complex poem that explores the theme of love and how it can lead to our own destruction. Edna St. Vincent Millay's vivid imagery and powerful language make this poem a haunting reminder of the risks that come with falling in love. While love can be beautiful and euphoric, it can also be dangerous and destructive, and this poem is a powerful reminder of that fact.