Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892-1950)
The Betrothal
1Oh, come, my lad, or go, my lad,
2And love me if you like.
3I shall not hear the door shut
4Nor the knocker strike.
5Oh, bring me gifts or beg me gifts,
6And wed me if you will.
7I'd make a man a good wife,
8Sensible and still.
9And why should I be cold, my lad,
10And why should you repine,
11Because I love a dark head
12That never will be mine?
13I might as well be easing you
14As lie alone in bed
15And waste the night in wanting
16A cruel dark head.
17You might as well be calling yours
18What never will be his,
19And one of us be happy.
20There's few enough as is.
Online text copyright © 2009, Ian Lancashire (the Department of English) and the University of Toronto.
Published by the Web Development Group, Information Technology Services, University of Toronto Libraries.
Original text: Edna St. Vincent Millay, The Harp-Weaver and Other Poems (New York and London: Harper, 1923): 26. 6th printing. PS 3525 I495H3 Robarts Library.
First publication date:
1921
Publication date note: Published in Poetica Erotica, ed. T. R. Smith: 302
RPO poem editor: Ian Lancashire
RP edition: RPO 1998.
Recent editing: 4:2002/3/1
Form: Common Measure
Rhyme: abcb
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