February 2008

Notable and Quotable: Edna St. Vincent Millay

American poet Edna St. Vincent Millay, who was born Feb 22, 1892, famously "burned the candle at both ends." She lived, loved, and put her experiences to poetry before her death in 1950. In addition to becoming the first woman awarded a Pulitzer Prize, Millay earned a spot in the Unabridged Dictionary for 38 attributed quotations, some of which we present below.

Interested in finding words from a favorite author in the dictionary? Select either the Unabridged or the Collegiate as a reference source, and click on Advanced Search. Type the last name of the author in the Author field, and click Search.

breath noun
"many a bard's untimely death lends unto his verses breath"

clement adjective
"birds that . . . seek the clement South"

dumb adverb
"let the world wail! . . . my sorrow shall be dumb!"

fickle adjective
"she is fickle! let the world wail! . . . my sorrow shall be dumb! . . ."

giddy adjective
"swept me on before, giddy as a whirling stick"

of old adverb
"still must the poet, as of old . . . starve, freeze, and fashion verses"

rover noun
"my true love's a rover"

stiff adjective
"something in the air, intangible, yet stiff with meaning, struck my senses"

transient adjective
"the transient butterfly"

unthrifty adjective
"nothing is cooked, and nobody is warmed — a most unthrifty fire"

visage noun
"the very visage of a man in love"

weary adjective
"weary wings that rise and fall all day long"


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