I need an interpretation of the Sonnet LII (Sleep Forever in LAtmian Cave by Edna Millay)?

Question

Sonnet LII (Endymion) by Millay

Oh, sleep forever in the Latmian cave,
Mortal Endymion, darling of the Moon!
Her silver garments by the senseless wave
Shouldered and dropped and on the shingle strewn,
Her fluttering hand against her forehead pressed,
Her scattered looks that troubled all the sky,
Her rapid footsteps running down the west —
Of all her altered state, oblivious lie!
Whom earthen you, by deathless lips adored,
Wild-eyed and stammering to the grasses thrust,
And deep into her crystal body poured
The hot and sorrowful sweetness of the dust:
Whereof she wanders mad, being all unfit
For mortal love, that might not die of it.

Answer 1

You need one, and yet you haven't said why you need one.
Such urgencies usually arise from a homework assignment.

No one in the poetry forum should be willing to commit the sin of giving someone an interpretation or analysis of a poem, for then what would be your appreciation for the poem. You currently see this poem as an obstacle, something to get by as quickly as you can put it behind you, and that simply is not what a poem is about. If you hate poetry, prove it, make a statement and take an "F" for the assignment. If you want to learn something you didn't know and perhaps gain an appreciation or understanding for poetry, then you need to learn how to do this assignment. And trust me, this assignment is not unusual. It will be something you will perhaps have to do for quite some time, depending on whether you make it through school and have a profession. So this is no small thing you ask, and no small thing you would commit.
If you don't know how to interpret a poem or a piece of writing, that IS what your teacher is there for. Your teacher is not a judge and jury, but an assistant to your learning. Ask her to help.

Learn well.

Answer 2

To understand the sonnet you must first understand the myth it is based upon. A greek shepard named Endymion was visited by the moon goddess Selene. She was so captivated by his beauty that she seduced him while he slept in a Latmian cave. He in return loved her so dearly that he prayed for the gods to grant him eternal youth and sleep so that he could forever dream of his moon goddess lover (they had 50 kids from their unions). Zeus granted his wish and he sleeps forever in his Latmian cave, visited nightly by his moon goddess Selene. The fact that she was already an immortal and he a mortal is a recurring theme in greek mythology, but in the poem is referenced by the statements regarding "earthen you, by deathless lips adored", meaning his mortal form was adored by Selene's deathless (immortal) lips. The rest of the poem becomes pretty obvious once you understand the background.

The great poet John Keats wrote an extended poem on Endymion that received mixed reviews...but is still quoted today, especially "a thing of beauty is a joy forever".

hope you get an "A"

Answer 3

I think it depends