"First Fig" by Edna St. Vincent Millay

“First Fig” by Edna St. Vincent Millay

My candle burns from both ends

It will not last the night.

But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends -

It gives a lovely light.

I find this poem to be a labyrinth in a locket. There may be only four lines, but what on earth is Edna St. Vincent Millay talking about? And why is it called “First Fig?” I wrestled with this poem quite a bit, but I hope to break it down.

On the surface, the language is quite simple. The meaning, however, is much more complicated to me. It could be any number of things; I went through ten different interpretations before settling on this one. I interpreted it as the narrator is affected extraordinarily strongly by her emotions,  is perhaps controlled by them, and will burn out eventually. She employs the apostrophe and addresses her “foes and...friends”  who would know what it looks like for her to burn so brightly. Although she would not have seen it firsthand, she knows that she gives off a certain fire and passion when her emotions get the best of her, and she thinks it is a good thing.

It could possibly be indicative of something else. I can also see it as Ms. Millay spreading herself too thin among her causes or noble activities, and she knows that she will reach a breaking point. I find her to be realistic, not cynical in that regard. She sees the value in what she is supporting with her time, and she is conscious to give it all she has in the limited time she has before she burns out.. To her, her efforts are beautiful and not in vain.

Extricating the title gave me significantly more trouble. This was the part of the poem that nagged me the most. It was the toughest point to get inside of her head. Figs appear to have nothing to do with the poem! The best that I can presume is that perhaps Millay wanted the title to indicate the first fruits of her labor or initial thoughts on the matter.

As one can see, a short poem can, in fact, beget a thoughtful response and explication. Just because a poem is shorter does not make it any less valuable or intricate. From my reading, I have gathered that Ms. Millay is no doubt a connoisseur of such art.