I, being born a woman and distressed
By all the needs and notions of my kind,
Am urged by your propinquity to find
Your person fair, and feel a certain zest
The poem opens with a statement about Millay’s innate biology, in the vein of the hysterical woman archetype. 
 There is a strong element of social satire here – Millay is writing within the tradition of early twentieth century feminist authors like Edith Wharton whose writing was concerned with the lack of choices available to women.
I being born a woman and distressed Sonnet XLI