An effective short poem by Edna St. Vincent Millay, What Lips my lips have kissed, and where, and why, portrays the dissonance between ideal young love and aged heartbreak. Millay starts this theme by looking back on the affairs she has had and realizes she has aged, "What lips my lips have kissed, and where, and why, I have forgotten…" (1-2). Then Millay explains how her past lovers continue to haunt her, "…but the rain is full of ghosts tonight, that tap and sigh upon the glass and listen for reply", once again the reader gets the impression of an aged author (3-5). Millay expresses her grief in remembering her past young love, "And in my heart there stirs a quiet pain for unremembered lads that not again will turn to me at midnight with a cry", using lads reinforce the fact that she remembers her young love (6-8). The poem goes on to express loneliness and heartbreak through a tree metaphor, "Thus in the winter stands the lonely tree, nor knows what birds have vanished one......

Join Now to view the rest of this term paper!
Members: Login to view this research paper.

Title: What Lips My Lips Have Kissed, And Where, And Why: Explication
Approximate Word Count: 353
Approximate Pages: 2 (250 words per double-spaced page)

With the Term Papers Lab Membership Pass, you get instant access to every essay on this site, including this essay on What Lips My Lips Have Kissed, And Where, And Why: Explication, for as long as you remain a member.

Other essays sites charge almost $100 for a single term paper. At Term Papers Lab, you can get instant access to over 100,000 research papers for as little as $29.95!