First Fig
My candle burns at both ends; It will not last the night; But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends-- It gives a lovely light!
Edna St. Vincent Millay
My candle burns at both ends; It will not last the night; But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends-- It gives a lovely light!
Millay’s speaker holds up a candle burning at both ends as an image for a life lived with reckless intensity. There’s no attempt to conserve energy or make things last; the candle will not survive the night, and the speaker knows it. But instead of regret, the voice is almost triumphant.
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