Essay Questions

What is the real-life inspiration for this poem?

The narrative of this poem describes a simple night out enjoying simple pleasures. The speaker identifies neither party by name or description even to the point of avoiding pronouns identifying gender. The speaker makes the two people into one entity by repeating "we" as the first word in the line that opens each stanza. Thus, the poet is purposely removing any directly autobiographical elements. And yet, Millay makes it known that this work of verse was explicitly influenced by a night spent enjoying Staten Island with a poet companion named Salomón de la Selva.

What is the defining literary device which unifies all three stanzas?

All three stanzas comprising this poem commence with the same line: "We were very tired, we were very merry—" This device is known as anaphora, which is simply the term used to describe repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of a sentence. Anaphora is typically used for the same reason that one would repeat important information in everyday conversation. It is a method of conveying emphasis. Therefore, the speaker is emphasizing that the events of the night were such they left the couple very tired, but a good kind of tired.

What is the significance of the title?

Salomón de la Selva, the real-life inspiration for the speaker's companion, hailed from Nicaragua. His native tongue was, therefore, Spanish. "Recuerdo" is a Spanish word that translates into "memory" or "recollection." Thus, the title suggests that the poem was written specifically for the purpose of relating a warm or meaningful memory to readers. There is important social subtext to the title as well. Millay was infamous in her day for being a feminist and liberal. Although no names are used in the poem, the decision to use a Spanish word as the title subtly hints at the possibility that the relationship being described was a boundary-bending interracial one between a Caucasian woman and Hispanic man.