The connotation to death is made in ‘at close of day’ you conclude that the women is near to death, which leads us to think that she is old. Therefore, the phase ‘passed away’, which implies that something is gone or that it disappeared, showing us that what was ‘passed away’ was her youth.
Furthermore, in the phrase ‘field to thicket’, ‘field’ illustrates that something free and limitless; representing her when she was young. In this case the ‘thicket’ is old age; Millay is explaining to us that old age overcame their youth and that is the reason it ended. Her reference to ‘wreckage’ represents destruction of her beauty; suggesting she was exposed and vulnerable to it.
The tone of this sonnet is painful and regretful. Millay’s voice can be heard as calm and exhausted since it seems she has been trying to fight this invasion of old age and getting her lover back to her. This has led her to confusion, which is the reason she uses reverse psychology to show her indecisive mind.
Her use of poetic technique mirrors her tone. This is shown by Millay’s use of alliteration and assonance. In the phrase, ‘the wind assails’, the assonance creates a swaying affect, like the wind. However, when she talks about the destruction, the assonance becomes harsh; ‘great tide that treads the shifting shore’, the tone here is rough and destructive.
This is a Shakespearean sonnet with the typical rhyme scheme. This means that the first eight lines is an octave, and the last six is a sestet. However, this would lead you to think that it is a traditional love sonnet; which it is not; Millay complains and expresses her regret. It also is not addressed to anyone in particular, which is a characteristic of a traditional love sonnet.
The structure of this sonnet contrasts the subject and her personality. This is shown as she uses iambic pentameter, which leads us to think she is speaking in a conversational tone.
You can conclude from this sonnet that Millay has had past love experiences which she also keeps repeating the same mistakes. Her aim is to get her voice heard and to have people pity her. She basically wants to tell us that love is transient and this results in her being anxious and making mistakes, since she knows that one day, there will be an end to it.
