Millay, Edna St. Vincent -- Poem (1921-03), “Passer Mortuus est,” st. 1, The Century Magazine, Vol. 101/79, No. 5

Dave — Thu, 11 Dec 2025 22:08:08 +0000

Death devours all lovely things.
Lesbia with her sparrow
Shares the darkness. Presently
Every bed is narrow.

Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892-1950) American poet
Poem (1921-03), “Passer Mortuus est,” st. 1, The Century Magazine, Vol. 101/79, No. 5

A reference to (and, in the title, quote from) Catullus' poem about the death of his beloved Lesbia's beloved sparrow (1, 2).

Collected in Second April (1921), with slightly different punctuation.

Death devours all lovely things;
Lesbia with her sparrow
Shares the darkness, -- presently
Every bed is narrow.

It is this latter punctuation that is generally used in later printings.

WIST Quotations

Millay, Edna St. Vincent -- Poem (1921-03), “Passer Mortuus est,” st. 1, The Century Magazine, Vol. 101/79, No. 5