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.

【作者簡介】李微（1982- ），女，汉族，安徽滁州人，Ma anshan Teachers College，讲师，硕士，研究方向：外国语言学与应用语言学。

【基金项目】 安徽省2018年高校优秀青年人才支持计划项目：传播学视角下的马鞍山市旅游外宣翻译研究 （项目编号：gxyq2018175）；2017年安徽省职业与成人教育学会教育科研规划课题：产教融合视野下高职院校实践教学体系的构建与实现

（项目编号：azjxh17087）；2017年安徽省质量工程教研项目：产教融合视野下高职院校实践教学体系的探索与实践 （项目编号：2017jyxm0619）。