Time Does not Bring Relief

Edna St. Vincent Millay

Time does not bring relief; you all have lied
Who told me time would ease me of my pain!
I miss him in the weeping of the rain;
I want him at the shrinking of the tide;
The old snows melt from every mountain-side,
And last year’s leaves are smoke in every lane;
But last year’s bitter loving must remain
Heaped on my heart, and my old thoughts abide.
There are a hundred places where I fear
To go,--so with his memory they brim.
And entering with relief some quiet place
Where never fell his foot or shone his face
I say, “There is no memory of him here!”
And so stand stricken, so remembering him.

Question
Which best expresses the theme of this poem?
Responses
A When you are lonely and in pain, your friends can lift you up.When you are lonely and in pain, your friends can lift you up.
B The pain of loss can never be relieved by the passage of time.The pain of loss can never be relieved by the passage of time.
C Grief may seem like it lasts forever, but it does end, eventually.Grief may seem like it lasts forever, but it does end, eventually.
D The loss of love can be painful, but it can be eased by the passing of time.The loss of love can be painful, but it can be eased by the passing of time.

User Icon for Bot GPT 4-o mini Bot GPT 4-o mini answered
3 hours ago

The best response that expresses the theme of the poem is:

B. The pain of loss can never be relieved by the passage of time.

The poem conveys a sense of enduring grief and suggests that the speaker's emotional pain remains despite the passage of time.