by Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892 - 1950)
Beauty
Language: English
Think not, not for a moment let your mind, Wearied with thinking, doze upon the thought That the work's done and the long day behind, And beauty, since 'tis paid for, can be bought. If in the moonlight from the silent bough [Suddenly]1 speak your name The nightingale, be not assured that now His wing is limed and his wild virtue tame. Beauty beyond all feathers that have flown Is free; you shall not hood her to your wrist, Nor sting her eyes, nor have her for your own In any fashion; beauty billed and kissed Is not your turtle; tread her like a dove She loves you not; she never heard of love.
View original text (without footnotes)
1 Millay: "with precision"
Researcher for this page: Victoria Brago
1 Millay: "with precision"
Authorship:
- by Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892 - 1950) [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by John Mitchell (b. 1941), "Beauty", op. 50 no. 5 (1983), from Five Sonnets by Edna St. Vincent Millay, no. 5. [text verified 1 time]
Researcher for this page: Victoria Brago
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 14
Word count: 114