Tag Archives: Edna St. Vincent Millay

Love Is Not All. But…

By Robin Bates | Published: February 13, 2023

Millay makes a strong case against love in her sonnet, but love wins out anyway.

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged "Love Is Not All", love, Valentine's Day | Comments closed

Our Fragile Democracy

By Robin Bates | Published: January 10, 2021

Feeling fragile about democracy in the wake of the Capitol desecration? This Millay poem may capture your sense of foreboding.

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged "Underground System", Capitol invasion, Donald Trump, white supremacy | Comments closed

The Case for Memorizing Poetry

By Robin Bates | Published: August 19, 2020

To bolster yourself against this age of anxiety, memorize robust poetry. Other poetry works as well.

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged "Kubla Khan", "La Belle Dame sans Merci", "Second Coming", "Soldier Rest", "Building of the Ship", "My Candle Burns at Both Ends", "Props assist the House", "Say Not the Struggle Nought Availeth", Arthur Clough, Emily Dickinson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, If, John Keats, Memorizing poetry, Rudyard Kipling, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Sir Walter Scott, William Butler Yeats | Comments closed

Lord, Thou’st Made the World Too Beautiful

By Robin Bates | Published: October 5, 2019

Millay’s gorgeous poem about autumn testifies to God’s hand in the world.

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged "God's Grandeur", "In Blackwater Woods", Autumn, Beauty, Gerald Manley Hopkins, Mary Oliver | Comments closed

Children Dying in ICE Custody

By Robin Bates | Published: July 11, 2019

Friday Testifying before a Congressional committee investigating inhumane treatment of asylum seekers, Yazmin Juarez’s gave the tragedy an all too human face by recounting how she lost her baby daughter due to “neglect and mistreatment” by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. I share an Edna St. Vincent Millay sonnet to acknowledge her heartbreak. According to an […]

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged "Time Does Not Bring Relief", ICE, immigration crisis | Comments closed

Fall, Season for Beautiful Depression

By Robin Bates | Published: November 15, 2017

Those suffering from depression will find a kindred spirit in this gorgeous St. Vincent Millay poem about autumn.

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged "Blue Heron", "To Autumn", Autumn, bi-polar illness, Depression, John Keats, Mary Oliver, Seasons | Comments closed

NFL Rookie QBs and Mac the Knife

By Robin Bates | Published: December 8, 2012

RGIII, Russell Wilson, and Andrew Luck are escape artists in the mode of Mac the Knife.

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged "I burn my candle at both ends", Andrew Luck, Beggar's Opera, Football, Homer, Joel Chandler Harris, John Gay, NFL, Odyssey, Robert Griffin III, Russell Wilson, Sports | Comments closed

Poetry in a Time of Mourning

By Robin Bates | Published: October 5, 2012

Poetry by E. A. Robinson and Edna St. Vincent Millay played a key role in my cousin’s memorial service.

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged "I burn my candle at both ends", "L'Envoi", "Luke Havergal", "Minniver Cheevy", Ballad of the Beanetown Bosox, Daniel Bates, death and dying, E. A. Robinson | Comments closed

Romanticism, Classicism, and Football

By Robin Bates | Published: January 5, 2010

Peyton Manning Note: I owe the underlying idea for this post to a reader contribution to Stampede Blue, an Indianapolis Colts fan website. I have combed through Stampede Blue’s archives and haven’t been able to locate the original post. If anyone has seen it, I ask that they let me know and I’ll give proper […]

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged "I burn my candle at both ends", Classicism, Football, Indianapolis Colts, Romanticism, Sports | Comments closed