"She Walks in Beauty" by Lord Bryon is a poem commenting on the beauty of which is love. Ending with "a heart whose love is innocent!" provides the reader with an understanding of what this pure love is. It is simply love that matters, and what Bryon focuses on is the simplicity of it, but it has such great potential and magnitude in our lives. However, "Love is not all" by Edna St. Vincent Millay states how love is not everything. Millay repeatedly talks about trading love for something else and how painful love can be. While she describes love, she also is willing to "trade the memory of this night for food." While some indicate that love is everything, Millay counters that by merely stating that "love is not all."
These poems have contrasting attitudes toward love--Bryon, smitten with the "smiles that win," and Millay speaking "for lack of love alone." While they both address what a big part of life love is, their attitudes are very different. Bryon focuses on the beauty within love. He personalizes it, making the story his. Millay has other ideas, realizing that there's more to life than love, and it may not even be worth it if you are able to trade it for peace or food. While I can see both attitudes, I have to admit I have a Millay attitude. Love always seems messy and confusing, and I'd rather focus my attention elsewhere than on the pain of heartbreak.
But the value Millay gives love, though not everything, is enormous. I think Bishop's "One Art" really touches on how devastating the loss of love can be.
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