Merlin V by Edwin Arlington Robinson
Merlin, newly altered in purple and gold with his beard removed at Vivian’s command, is led by Blaise to meet her. Vivian welcomes the transformed wizard with teasing admiration, and their attraction quickly becomes physical. She invites him to supper, where they eat amid music, candlelight, and wine preserved from Merlin’s grave. Vivian urges him to drink all the precious wine left by her father, while Merlin, increasingly entranced by her beauty and intoxicated, drinks until consciousness fails. Afterward Merlin lives with Vivian in a secluded, luxurious place that becomes both a paradise and his “prison yard.” He is absorbed by her presence and finds that his former greatness, public power, and worldly concerns have dwindled beside his love for her. Vivian speaks of having awaited him for twenty years, declares that he must not leave her, and imagines their existence as outside ordinary Time. She calls him her ruler while insisting that he is also ruled by her love, and tells him that he alone has the wisdom to keep their two lives in harmony. Merlin accepts the enclosure of their shared world, wandering its grounds and returning to Vivian when she follows him. He sometimes playfully rebukes her for pursuing him, though she is not always certain that the man before her is the mighty wizard she had dreamed of. Still, she believes that Merlin can keep the outside world away. For ten years Broceliande remains undisturbed. Then Dagonet arrives with a message from Arthur. Merlin says he must go because he made Arthur king and must once more show him what he already knows in his heart, though he vows that he will never leave Vivian again after this. Vivian does not ask him to remain. Seeing both helpless love and sad authority in Merlin, she recognizes the diminished, imprisoned man she has helped create, while also seeing the Merlin who once changed the world.
By Edwin Arlington Robinson · First published 1917 · Genre: Narrative Poetry, Arthurian Literature, Mythological Fantasy · 5,172 words
First lines
THE SUN went down, and the dark after it
Starred Merlin's new abode with many a sconced
Similar titles
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Genres
- Narrative Poetry — The work tells a sustained story through elevated blank-verse-like poetic language, using dialogue, imagery, and scene development rather than prose narration.
- Arthurian Literature — It centers on Merlin, Vivian, Arthur, Dagonet, Camelot, and Broceliande, all drawn from the Arthurian legendary tradition.
- Mythological Fantasy — Its world includes a wizard, enchanted imprisonment, legendary kingdoms, fate, and an atmosphere of supernatural power.
- Romantic Poetry — The central action is Merlin and Vivian's intense, sensual, witty, and psychologically complex love relationship.
Tags
poetry · Arthurian legend · medievalism · narrative verse · dramatic monologue · mythology · wizardry · prophecy · magic · tragedy · psychological introspection · melancholy
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Merlin V is listed on Textopian as a poem by Edwin Arlington Robinson, dated 1917 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: 1917 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Narrative Poetry, Arthurian Literature, Mythological Fantasy, Romantic Poetry, Verse Drama
- Length: 5,172 words
- Structure: 1 section, 385 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)
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