Renascence and Other Poems - Edna St. Vincent Millay - A Short Summary & Review

 Renascence and Other Poems - Edna St. Vincent Millay - A Short Summary & Review

By: a.d. elliott | Take the Back Roads - Art and Other Odd Adventures

A Rite of Fancy Book Recommendation and Review

Edna's poems from her younger days.

A short summary:

In Renascence and Other Poems, Edna St. Vincent Millay’s early poetic voice emerges with startling clarity and emotional force. Written in her youth, these poems grapple with sorrow, spiritual longing, nature, isolation, and the overwhelming intensity of feeling deeply in the world.

The title poem, “Renascence,” anchors the collection with its sweeping meditation on despair and rebirth, while shorter works explore heartbreak, exhaustion, and the desire to escape pain without losing sensitivity. Millay’s early poems are unfiltered, intimate encounters with a mind learning how to survive its own awareness.

My favorite quote from the book:

"The soul can split the sky in two and let the face of God shine through."

- Edna St. Vincent Millay, Renascence and Other Poems

Questions to ponder while reading:

Has something completely changed you?

Have you ever missed something important?

My review:

Reading Renascence feels like eavesdropping on a soul before it learns restraint. I completely understand “Sorrow”—that bone-deep weight that doesn’t need explanation, only recognition. Millay names it plainly, without ornament, and that honesty is devastating.

“The Dream” broke my heart. Its longing, its fragility, and its quiet resignation capture something universal about wanting relief without knowing where it might come from. And yes, I hate the cold too. In Millay’s hands, cold becomes more than weather; it’s emotional exposure, a world that offers no shelter.

These poems aren’t polished for comfort. They are sharp, earnest, and deeply felt, written by someone who had not yet learned to look away from pain. That vulnerability is precisely what gives the collection its lasting power. Millay’s early work reminds us that sensitivity is not weakness; it is the beginning of understanding.

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About the Author
a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller traveling through life

She shares her journeys at Take the Back Roads, explores new reads at Rite of Fancy, and highlights U.S. military biographies at Everyday Patriot.

You can also browse her online photography gallery at shop.takethebackroads.com.

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