Recuardo
Edna St. Vincent Millay
5 10 15 |
We were very tired, we were very merry— We had gone back and forth all night on the ferry. It was bare and bright, and smelled like a stable— But we looked into a fire, we leaned across a table, We lay on a hill-top underneath the moon; And the whistles kept blowing, and the dawn came soon. We were very tired, we were very merry— We had gone back and forth all night on the ferry; And you ate an apple, and I ate a pear, From a dozen of each we had bought somewhere; And the sky went wan, and the wind came cold, And the sun rose dripping, a bucketful of gold. We were very tired, we were very merry, We had gone back and forth all night on the ferry. We hailed, “Good morrow, mother!” to a shawl-covered head, And bought a morning paper, which neither of us read; And she wept, “God bless you!” for the apples and pears, And we gave her all our money but our subway fares. |
Making Meanings
Recuardo
1. Do you recognize the feelings described in this poem? When have you ever had similar feelings?
2. Whom do you think the “we” in the poem refers to? What do lines 4–5 suggest about their feelings for each other?
3. Why do you think the people in the poem gave their money to the “shawl-covered head”? What does this action say about the power of love?
4. Identify the metaphor in line 12. What does this image reveal about the speaker’s feelings?
5. Describe the poem’s meter and rhyme scheme.
6. How would you describe the tone of “Recuerdo”? (You may find it easier to answer this question if you first read the poem aloud.)