Here's why:
* "Renascence" is a poem about a young woman's journey of self-discovery and her understanding of life, death, and the vastness of the universe. While the themes of journeys, hardship, and finding one's way home resonate with *The Odyssey*, Millay's poem is fundamentally a personal reflection.
* "Renascence" uses the metaphorical journey of the speaker to represent the human experience, not to directly retell the story of Odysseus.
To further clarify, the poem does not feature:
* Odysseus (the main character of *The Odyssey*)
* Penelope (Odysseus's wife)
* Telemachus (Odysseus's son)
* Circe (the sorceress)
* Calypso (the nymph who holds Odysseus captive)
* The Sirens (creatures who lure sailors to their death)
Instead, the poem draws upon broader themes of:
* The journey of self-discovery
* The search for meaning and understanding
* The challenges of life
* The importance of resilience
So, while *The Odyssey* might have inspired some of the ideas in "Renascence", Millay uses these themes to explore her own personal perspective and experience, rather than to recreate characters or events from the epic.