Merlin II by Edwin Arlington Robinson
Sir Lamorak of the strong hand and heavy voice hosts Sir Bedivere, a knight Arthur loves second only to Lancelot, and the two men eye each other warily over unspoken matters until Bedivere proposes a toast to break the silence. Asked whether to drink to the King, the Queen, or Lancelot, Lamorak instead growls "Merlin," and they drink to the absent wizard, though neither has yet seen him. Silence falls again until Lamorak bursts out at Bedivere, mocking his moralizing and declaring that no one's certainties are proof against nature and human weakness. He states plainly that the King had eyes, that Lancelot will not ride home to his dead mother, and that the affair between the Queen and Lancelot is common knowledge. He recalls that Merlin had warned Arthur of what has now come to pass, and says he believes the story. Lamorak adds that Arthur, being great and amorous, has made his own mess, and that he would rather condemn the "unwholesome" Modred than the Queen or Lancelot, noting Arthur himself set the pace by fathering two bastard sons, Borre and Modred, of whom only Modred troubles him. Bedivere answers that the Queen might yet become a nun, though he doubts prayer can help now. He says he saw the King that morning and saw in his face that a state must have its king embodied fully in it, or there will be only ruin — bones, ashes, and fallen towers — unless something is rebuilt. He blames Lancelot for a grave wrong against Arthur and all who serve him, but says that to see the King now is to forget his past faults, and that even if it is too late to save him, God will not forsake Arthur in Avilion or wherever peace awaits him. Lamorak, shifting in his chair, accuses Bedivere of sermonizing like a woman despite being a formidable fighter. He argues the kingdom will not collapse simply because a woman was foolish, and recalls that Arthur brought the Queen from Leodogran partly to prove Merlin, who knew everything, wrong. He calls over Sir Kay, the seneschal, to report what he knows of Merlin's return. Kay confirms that Merlin has indeed come back, "out of Brittany," as if from his grave, because the King's desperation now exceeds even the power that once entrapped Merlin in his own downfall. Kay says he knows nothing of the Queen beyond what her eyes have shown, and refuses to add to the city's gossip about her. He wonders where this crisis will lead the King, the kingdom, and themselves, and observes that Merlin will already have measured Arthur's grief and wrath, working to keep him from neglecting the "cranny" through which some serpent might enter. Lamorak identifies that serpent as Modred, though the wider court does not yet say so aloud. He turns the conversation half-mockingly toward Lancelot and the Queen's allure, then asks Kay whether Merlin has yet seen Lancelot. Kay says the King and Merlin are closeted together now, and that he cannot fathom how Arthur persuaded the stricken wizard to return from across the water. Lamorak, growing vehement again, demands whether the King is so undone by injury that his old force has failed him, and whether he is blind to Modred's designs or ready to forget his crown for Lancelot's sake and a woman's mortality. Bedivere rebukes him as a man untested in the deeper "fens and heights" of love, praising Lamorak's deeds while faulting his words, and says that for himself he sees only the shadow of the end, wishing to serve Arthur faithfully until death and, if God permits, to see the Grail. Lamorak retorts that he foresees nothing but a "stinking mess" stirred by Modred and Agravaine, comparing them to a flawed creation the Devil slipped into God's workshop, and dismisses concern for the Grail as none of his affair. Kay agrees with Bedivere that the end is coming, declaring that the King he saw today is no longer the King they knew — the man lives, but the King is dead, and "the wheel is broken." Lamorak rejects this, insisting there are no dead kings yet in Camelot, but admits Modred is hatching ruin, that Gawaine bears him a grudge for killing his father, and that Arthur's house is riven by divisions he dislikes, adding that if Modred's aim proves good against men like himself, he may not survive what comes.
By Edwin Arlington Robinson · First published 1917 · Genre: Arthurian literature, Narrative poetry, Mythological retelling · 2,474 words
First lines
SIR LAMORAK, the man of oak and iron, / Had with him now, as a care-laden guest, / Sir Bedivere, a man whom Arthur loved
As he had loved no man save Lancelot.
Similar titles
- Merlin Vii by Edwin Arlington Robinson
- Merlin V by Edwin Arlington Robinson
- Lancelot Ix by Edwin Arlington Robinson
- Lancelot Iv by Edwin Arlington Robinson
- Merlin Vi by Edwin Arlington Robinson
- Lancelot by Edwin Arlington Robinson
Genres
- Arthurian literature — The poem is set in Camelot and centers on figures from the Arthurian legend, including Merlin, Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot, Bedivere, Kay, Lamorak, and Modred.
- Narrative poetry — Written in verse, the work advances a dramatic situation through sustained dialogue, characterization, and reflections on the impending collapse of Arthur's kingdom.
- Mythological retelling — Robinson reinterprets established medieval British myth, especially the traditional story of Merlin's return amid Arthur's political and personal ruin.
- Poetic drama — The scene relies almost entirely on exchanges among named characters, using theatrical dialogue and conflict rather than lyric meditation alone.
Tags
poetry · narrative poem · Arthurian legend · medievalism · mythology · romance · tragedy · courtly love · magic · prophecy · chivalry · Camelot
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Merlin II is listed on Textopian as a poem by Edwin Arlington Robinson, dated 1917 CE.
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- Work type: Poem
- Author: Edwin Arlington Robinson
- Date: 1917 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Arthurian literature, Narrative poetry, Mythological retelling, Poetic drama, Tragedy
- Length: 2,474 words
- Structure: 1 section, 182 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)
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