I shall forget you presently, my dear (Sonnet IV) " I…
““I shall forget you presently, my dear (Sonnet IV) " I shall forget you presently, my dear, So make the most of this, your little day, Your little month, your little half a year Ere I forget, or die, or move away, And we are done forever; by and by I shall forget you, as I said, but now, If you entreat me with your loveliest lie I will protest you with my favorite vow. I would indeed that love were longer-lived, And vows were not so brittle as they are, But so it is, and nature has contrived To struggle on without a break thus far,— Whether or not we find what we are seeking Is idle, biologically speaking. — Edna St. Vincent Millay, The Selected Poems of Edna St. Vincent Millay (Modern Library, 2001)””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
The speaker acknowledges love’s fleeting nature, hoping to forget the beloved soon, yet yearning for lasting devotion despite love’s fragility.
In simple terms: Love is temporary, but we wish it could last.
Key Takeaway
Accept love’s impermanence, cherish moments.
Themes
love
impermanence
longing
memory
Mood
melancholic
reflective
Type
poetic
philosophical
When to use this quote
- romantic relationships
- grief processing
- personal reflection
- creative writing
Key Concepts
transience
desire
human frailty
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you balance longing with acceptance?
- Can fleeting love still be meaningful?
A Different Perspective
Love may endure beyond memory, challenging the claim of inevitable forgetting.