Merlin (Robinson)
Encyclopedia
Merlin is a dramatic narrative poem by Edwin Arlington Robinson
, written in 1917.
In Robinson's poem, King Arthur
and his knights are not romantic heroes, as other poets have made them, not “our conception of what knighthood should be”; they are a modern poet's conception of what leaders of men always and universally are — king, warrior, lover, fool; Arthur, Gawaine, Lancelot
, Dagonet
. Nor is Robinson's Merlin
like Tennyson's — a magician in his dotage falling a victim to the wiles of a false woman. He is a prophet whose “memories go forward”; he is a man “Who saw himself, A sight no other man has ever seen,” and he follows Vivian, “a woman who is worth a grave,” because Fate wills it so. In Merlin, Robinson revivifies, not the age of chivalry, but our own time, our own double world of hope and of reality, with its loves, faith, fears, wars and failures. The philosophy of the poem, that faith and creative love will someday save the world, is a lustrous background for the story: “The torch of woman, who, together with the light That Galahad
found, is yet to light the world.” As a tale Merlin is vivid and compelling, with scenes, like that of Merlin's first meeting with Vivian and his final parting, which rival the best in drama for beauty and intensity.
Edwin Arlington Robinson
Edwin Arlington Robinson was an American poet who won three Pulitzer Prizes for his work.- Biography :Robinson was born in Head Tide, Lincoln County, Maine, but his family moved to Gardiner, Maine, in 1870...
, written in 1917.
Description
The poem is entirely modern in its spirit and treatment, with lines like these that mark its date:“Time swings A mighty scythe, and some day all your peace Goes down before its edge like so much clover.” |
In Robinson's poem, King Arthur
King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
and his knights are not romantic heroes, as other poets have made them, not “our conception of what knighthood should be”; they are a modern poet's conception of what leaders of men always and universally are — king, warrior, lover, fool; Arthur, Gawaine, Lancelot
Lancelot
Sir Lancelot du Lac is one of the Knights of the Round Table in the Arthurian legend. He is the most trusted of King Arthur's knights and plays a part in many of Arthur's victories...
, Dagonet
Dagonet
Sir Dagonet was King Arthur's well-beloved jester, and a Knight of the Round Table of Arthurian legend. He saw himself as a courageous warrior and would present himself as such. Yet, in reality, he would flee at the slightest provocation...
. Nor is Robinson's Merlin
Merlin
Merlin is a legendary figure best known as the wizard featured in the Arthurian legend. The standard depiction of the character first appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae, written c. 1136, and is based on an amalgamation of previous historical and legendary figures...
like Tennyson's — a magician in his dotage falling a victim to the wiles of a false woman. He is a prophet whose “memories go forward”; he is a man “Who saw himself, A sight no other man has ever seen,” and he follows Vivian, “a woman who is worth a grave,” because Fate wills it so. In Merlin, Robinson revivifies, not the age of chivalry, but our own time, our own double world of hope and of reality, with its loves, faith, fears, wars and failures. The philosophy of the poem, that faith and creative love will someday save the world, is a lustrous background for the story: “The torch of woman, who, together with the light That Galahad
Galahad
Sir Galahad |Round Table]] and one of the three achievers of the Holy Grail in Arthurian legend. He is the illegitimate son of Lancelot and Elaine of Corbenic, and is renowned for his gallantry and purity. Emerging quite late in the medieval Arthurian tradition, he is perhaps the knightly...
found, is yet to light the world.” As a tale Merlin is vivid and compelling, with scenes, like that of Merlin's first meeting with Vivian and his final parting, which rival the best in drama for beauty and intensity.