First Fig

by Edna St. Vincent Millay

First Fig was published in Millay's collection, A Few Figs from Thistles (1920),one of her works which won the Nobel Prize for Poetry in 1923.


  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!

First Fig was featured as The Short Story of the Day on Tue, Oct 19, 2021

This poem is featured in our collection, Poetry for the Well-Read Student.

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Return to the Edna St. Vincent Millay library , or . . . Read the next poem; Four Sonnets