Question

Use the poem "Recuerdo" by Edna St. Vincent Millay to complete the activity.

1 We were very tired, we were very merry-
We had gone back and forth all night on the ferry.
It was bare and bright, and smelled like a stable-
But we looked into a fire, we leaned across a table,
We lay on a hill-top underneath the moon;
And the whistles kept blowing, and the dawn came soon.

2 We were very tired, we were very merry-
We had gone back and forth all night on the ferry;
And you ate an apple, and I ate a pear,
From a dozen of each we had bought somewhere;
And the sky went wan, and the wind came cold,
And the sun rose dripping, a bucketful of gold.

3 We were very tired, we were very merry,
We had gone back and forth all night on the ferry.
We hailed, "Good morrow, mother!" to a shawl-covered head,
And bought a morning paper, which neither of us read;
And she wept, "God bless you!" for the apples and pears,
And we gave her all our money but our subway fares.

In one to two sentences, explain how the repeated lines contribute to the overall meaning of the poem. (2 points)

BIUEE

Answer 1

The repeated opening lines function as a refrain that anchors each stanza, emphasizing the paradoxical state of being "very tired" yet "very merry" and the continuous back-and-forth motion of the ferry. This repetition creates a rhythmic, cyclical feel that reinforces the poem's mood of weary, carefree revelry and the lasting impression of that night as dawn arrives.