Cliff Klingenhagen by Edwin Arlington Robinson
Cliff Klingenhagen invites the speaker to dine with him and, after the meal, fills one glass with wine and another with wormwood. Without allowing the speaker to choose, Cliff drinks the bitter wormwood himself and gives the wine to his guest. When questioned, he merely smiles and says that this is his way. Though the speaker knows him, he remains puzzled by Cliff’s conduct and wonders when he himself will be as happy as Cliff Klingenhagen.
By Edwin Arlington Robinson · First published 1920 · Genre: Lyric Poetry, Sonnet, Philosophical Poetry · 137 words
First lines
CLIFF KLINGENHAGEN had me in to dine
With him one day; and after soup and meat, / And all the other things there were to eat, / Cliff took two glasses and filled one with wine
And one with wormwood. Then, without a sign
For me to choose at all, he took the draught
What this Textopian page supports
Cliff Klingenhagen is listed on Textopian as a poem by Edwin Arlington Robinson, dated 1920 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: 1920 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Lyric Poetry, Sonnet, Philosophical Poetry, Character Sketch, Dramatic Monologue
- Length: 137 words
- Structure: 1 section, 12 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Cliff Klingenhagen 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
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Genres
- Lyric Poetry — The work is a concise first-person poetic meditation, using a speaker's encounter with Cliff Klingenhagen to convey an inward reflection on happiness and outlook.
- Sonnet — It is a fourteen-line poem structured around an octave-like narrative setup and a reflective concluding sestet, with a recognizable sonnet rhyme pattern.
- Philosophical Poetry — The poem examines the paradoxical idea that happiness may arise from willingly accepting bitterness rather than claiming pleasure.
- Character Sketch — Cliff is presented through one emblematic action—choosing wormwood over wine—which sharply defines his unusual temperament and worldview.
Tags
American poetry · early twentieth century · narrative poem · character study · psychological portrait · small-town life · New England · isolation · alienation · disillusionment · ambition · failure