Edwin Arlington Robinson was an American poet who won the first Pulitzer Prize in poetry. His poetry is less well-known now than it was at the time, but he’s still regarded as an incredibly important American poet. He’s remembered as being very dedicated to his writing.
‘Mr. Flood’s Party’ by Edwin Arlington Robinson describes a man’s later years in life and how lonely he has become. It suggests that a long life is not always a blessing.
Old Eben Flood, climbing alone one night
Over the hill between the town below
And the forsaken upland hermitage
That held as much as he should ever know
Edwin Arlington Robinson’s sonnet ‘Horace to Leuconoe’ is a passionate address of a lover to a girl, brooding over what God might have in store for her. He advises her to seize the moment and forget about the past and the future.
‘Luke Havergal’ by Edwin Arlington Robinson is told from inside the mind of Luke Havergal, a man who is being tempted to suicide by the prospect of love.
‘Richard Cory’ by Edwin Arlington Robinson is a simple poem which shows the chasm between perception and reality and warns the reader never to judge on appearances.
‘The Mill’ by Edwin Arlington Robinson describes a dark night in the life of a miller’s wife as she waits for her husband to return.