Monday 28 April 2008

Richard Cory - Edwin Arlington Robinson


Whenever Richard Cory went down town,
We people on the pavement looked at him:
He was a gentleman from sole to crown,
Clean favored, and imperially slim.

And he was always quietly arrayed,
And he was always human when he talked;
But still he fluttered pulses when he said,
"Good-morning," and he glittered when he walked.

And he was rich—yes, richer than a king—
And admirably schooled in every grace:
In fine, we thought that he was everything
To make us wish that we were in his place.

So on we worked, and waited for the light,
And went without the meat, and cursed the bread;
And Richard Cory, one calm summer night,
Went home and put a bullet through his head.


- One of my favourites...This poem really made me feel that "no-one knows what goes on behind closed doors". It shows that wealth and money don't necessarily make you happy. The ending "one calm summer night" portrays the shock that would be felt in the community.

1 comment:

The girl with kaleidoscope eyes said...

One of my favourites...This poem really made me feel that "no-one knows what goes on behind closed doors". It shows that wealth and money don't necessarily make you happy. The ending "one calm summer night" portrays the shock that would be felt in the community.