Boston by Edwin Arlington Robinson
The speaker values his northern pines but remembers a town that rises in his mind like a friend, always seen in sunrise by the sea. Above it hangs a fierce, new force that seems to flash downward and strive to dispel the town’s ancient, enchanted dimness, yet never fully succeeds.
By Edwin Arlington Robinson · First published 1897 · Genre: Lyric Poetry, City Poetry, Sonnet · 80 words
First lines
MY northern pines are good enough for me, / But there's a town my memory uprears -
A town that always like a friend appears, / And always in the sunrise by the sea.
And over it, somehow, there seems to be
A downward flash of something new and fierce, / That ever strives to clear, but never clears
What this Textopian page supports
Boston is listed on Textopian as a poem by Edwin Arlington Robinson, dated 1897 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Edwin Arlington Robinson
- Date: 1897 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Lyric Poetry, City Poetry, Sonnet, New England Poetry, Nostalgic Poetry
- Length: 80 words
- Structure: 1 section, 5 paragraphs
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Boston by Edwin Arlington Robinson
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph
Similar titles
- The New Tenants by Edwin Arlington Robinson
- Doctor Of Billiards by Edwin Arlington Robinson
- London Bridge by Edwin Arlington Robinson
- Caput Mortuum by Edwin Arlington Robinson
- The Sage by Edwin Arlington Robinson
- The Clerks by Edwin Arlington Robinson
Genres
- Lyric Poetry — The work is a short, personal meditation in verse, expressing the speaker's remembered emotional connection to Boston.
- City Poetry — Boston is the poem's central subject, portrayed as a living place shaped by memory, atmosphere, history, and coastal light.
- Sonnet — The poem consists of fourteen lines and follows a compact, sonnet-like structure suited to a concentrated reflection on place and feeling.
- New England Poetry — Its contrast between northern pines and Boston, along with its historical and maritime imagery, firmly places it in a New England literary setting.
Tags
poetry · American literature · modernist poetry · satire · social criticism · Boston society · New England · urban life · cultural decline · intellectualism · hypocrisy · class consciousness