Fragment by Edwin Arlington Robinson
The speaker describes Briony’s secluded house, its fading white pillars, surrounding woods, ruined garden, and broken fountain. Though others might have considered such a home a blessing, Briony grew white-haired and fearful, troubled even by the sun-dial’s reminder that time will strike. He had learned too much for the life he lived, while less deserving people continue to flourish. The speaker suggests that time will eventually uncover the full meaning of Briony’s losses, as wind moves dead leaves across the stones of the broken fountain.
By Edwin Arlington Robinson · First published 1910 · Genre: Lyric Poetry, Elegy, Philosophical Poetry · 246 words
First lines
FAINT white pillars that seem to fade
As you look from here are the first one sees
Of his house where it hides and dies in a shade
Of beeches and oaks and hickory trees.
What this Textopian page supports
Fragment is listed on Textopian as a poem by Edwin Arlington Robinson, dated 1910 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: 1910 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Lyric Poetry, Elegy, Philosophical Poetry, Symbolist Poetry, Narrative Poetry
- Length: 246 words
- Structure: 1 section, 18 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Fragment by Edwin Arlington Robinson
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Genres
- Lyric Poetry — The work is a short, highly musical poem focused on atmosphere, image, reflection, and emotional resonance rather than narrative plot.
- Elegy — It mourns Briony through the ruined estate, graying pillars, broken fountain, dead garden, and enduring natural imagery, creating a meditative lament for a lost life.
- Philosophical Poetry — The poem considers knowledge, mortality, time, fate, spiritual uncertainty, and the limits of human understanding, especially in its final reflections on death and revelation.
- Symbolist Poetry — Objects and landscape elements—the sun-dial, pillars, house, harvest, ghost, oak, and fountain—operate as symbolic expressions of Briony's fear, decline, and mortality.
Tags
poetry · American literature · early twentieth century · modernist poetry · lyric verse · melancholy · introspection · isolation · mortality · disillusionment · psychological depth · urban life