An Analysis of“What lips my lips have kissed and where， and why”

LI Wei

Edna St. Vincent Millay was an American poet and playwright who continued to be regarded as a major figure in twentieth-century literature. In the 1920s， she began creating a series of works transformed from expression of strong-willed individuals and independent women in some works， to more of a reflection of human emotion in others.

“What lips my lips have kissed and where， and why” is a sonnet. In this sonnet， Millay laments her lost lovers. “I cannot say what loves have come and gone”. Overall， Millay reveals that she enjoyed rather than loved the young men who were her lovers. She lost them because she continually changed from lover to lover. She looks back on her youth and feels an intense sense of loss. It is possible that Millay made up a character to speak the lines of this sonnet. In these notes， we imagine that character is herself. You can imagine that the voice of Millay， the poet， speaks directly to us from her own experience.

“What lips my lips have kissed， and where， and why， I have forgotten” is the first line of the poem. The quote clearly summaries the subject matter of the poem. Millay fondly remembers the delight of kissing many lovers. She loved the physical contact. She desired many young men and passed from one to the other forgetfully. The faces and personalities of the many lovers are forgotten. Millay does not remember them individually. She gives us a general image of lovers. She admits she has forgotten the various locations and the reasons for many trysts. In the second and third lines， Millay pictures young mens arms that have embraced her all night： “what arms have lain under my head till morning”. She mentions arms. This further shows that she cannot remember the people involved. Millay may be admitting that she was careless and replaced her lovers too easily. The words ‘till morning suggest these were one-night stands. She does not give the impression that she developed relationships. In the fourth and fifth lines Millay imagines that the noise made by the raindrops on her window is the attempt of young lovers to contact her again. She compares the forgotten lovers to ghosts. The word “ghosts” means memories. It is a dramatic way of remembering. She reveals guilt for the pain she caused these ex-lovers. This part of the poem shows that Millay broke hearts. Perhaps she squandered her opportunities for love. In lines six， seven， eight， Millay shows her lonely emotion for all the lovers of her past who she wont see again. She remembers them with painful longing. The memory “stirs a quiet pain”. Millay recalls deep moments of intimacy： “turn to me at midnight with a cry”. In the sestet， the last six lines， Millay feels she has grown too old. She can no longer experience the passionate love of her youth. Perhaps she cant attract young male lovers any more. They have “come and gone”. In lines nine， ten and eleven Millay compares herself to a lonely tree that misses the songbirds of summer. The songbirds represent her lovers. The reader must think that unlike the tree， Millay could have prevented her loneliness. In line twelve she repeats that she cannot remember her lovers individually： “I cannot say what loves have come and gone”. In line thirteen and fourteen， she compares her joyful youth to a brief summer time， full of songs. In the fourteenth line， Millay states that the joy of her years of loving has gone.

“What lips my lips have kissed” is a simple and skilful sonnet. It provides an image for the poets sorrow. Millay uses natures beauty to reflect her earlier happiness and her current unhappiness.

【作者簡(jiǎn)介】李微（1982- ），女，漢族，安徽滁州人，Ma anshan Teachers College，講師，碩士，研究方向：外國(guó)語(yǔ)言學(xué)與應(yīng)用語(yǔ)言學(xué)。

【基金項(xiàng)目】 安徽省2018年高校優(yōu)秀青年人才支持計(jì)劃項(xiàng)目：傳播學(xué)視角下的馬鞍山市旅游外宣翻譯研究 （項(xiàng)目編號(hào)：gxyq2018175）；2017年安徽省職業(yè)與成人教育學(xué)會(huì)教育科研規(guī)劃課題：產(chǎn)教融合視野下高職院校實(shí)踐教學(xué)體系的構(gòu)建與實(shí)現(xiàn)

（項(xiàng)目編號(hào)：azjxh17087）；2017年安徽省質(zhì)量工程教研項(xiàng)目：產(chǎn)教融合視野下高職院校實(shí)踐教學(xué)體系的探索與實(shí)踐 （項(xiàng)目編號(hào)：2017jyxm0619）。