Analysis of The Death Of Autumn

Edna St. Vincent Millay 1892 (Rockland) – 1950 (Austerlitz)



When reeds are dead and a straw to thatch the marshes,
And feathered pampas-grass rides into the wind
Like aged warriors westward, tragic, thinned
Of half their tribe, and over the flattened rushes,
Stripped of its secret, open, stark and bleak,
Blackens afar the half-forgotten creek,—
Then leans on me the weight of the year, and crushes
My heart. I know that Beauty must ail and die,
And will be born again,—but ah, to see
Beauty stiffened, staring up at the sky!
Oh, Autumn! Autumn!—What is the Spring to me?


Scheme ABCADDEFGFG
Poetic Form
Metre 111100111010 01010110101 1110010101 111101001010 1111010101 1001010101 111101101010 11111101101 0111011111 1010101101 11010110111
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 516
Words 95
Sentences 6
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 11
Lines Amount 11
Letters per line (avg) 36
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 398
Words per stanza (avg) 90
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 08, 2023

28 sec read
116

Edna St. Vincent Millay

Edna St. Vincent Millay was an American poet and playwright. She received the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1923, the third woman to win the award for poetry, and was also known for her feminist activism more…

All Edna St. Vincent Millay poems | Edna St. Vincent Millay Books

4 fans

Discuss this Edna St. Vincent Millay poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "The Death Of Autumn" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/9463/the-death-of-autumn>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    More poems by

    Edna St. Vincent Millay

    »

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    3
    days
    5
    hours
    36
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Lewis Carroll wrote: "You are old father William, the young man said..."
    A "and your eyes have become less bright"
    B "and your hair has become very white"
    C "and you're going to die tonight"
    D "and you seem to have lost your sight"