Mr. Flood's Party by Edwin Arlington Robinson
Old Eben Flood climbs alone at night over the hill between Tilbury Town and his forsaken upland home. Pausing in the road with a jug he has gone far to fill, he speaks to himself as “Mr. Flood,” proposing a drink to the harvest moon and to “the bird” that is on the wing. He answers his own invitation and drinks, standing solitary with the burden of worn hopes and remembering the town below, where friends once honored him but now seem like dead, distant presences. He carefully sets down the jug, treating its security on the earth as more certain than human lives, then resumes his imagined companionship with himself. Welcoming “Mr. Flood” home, he proposes another small drink for auld lang syne. In the moonlit loneliness, with only the actual moon and the reflected light on his jug seeming to listen, he sings “For auld lang syne” until his tired voice fails. When the song is over, he lifts the jug again regretfully, shakes his head, and remains alone, with little before him and no welcome awaiting him in the town, where strangers would now close doors once opened by friends.
By Edwin Arlington Robinson · First published 1920 · Genre: Narrative Poetry, Lyric Poetry, Dramatic Monologue · 575 words
First lines
OLD Eben Flood, climbing along one night
Over the hill between the town below
What this Textopian page supports
Mr. Flood's Party 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: Narrative Poetry, Lyric Poetry, Dramatic Monologue, Character Study, Psychological Poetry
- Length: 575 words
- Structure: 1 section, 38 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
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- Work identity for Mr. Flood's Party by Edwin Arlington Robinson
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Genres
- Narrative Poetry — The poem follows Eben Flood through a defined nighttime sequence, using a third-person speaker, setting, action, dialogue, and a somber ending.
- Lyric Poetry — Its concentrated musical language, imagery of moonlight and landscape, and sustained meditation on loneliness create a strongly lyrical effect.
- Dramatic Monologue — Although narrated externally, much of the poem is shaped by Flood's spoken exchanges with himself, revealing his emotional state through self-address.
- Character Study — The work intimately portrays an aging, isolated man whose gestures, drinking, memories, and speech expose pride, grief, and vulnerability.
Tags
narrative poetry · American poetry · modernism · loneliness · isolation · old age · alcoholism · memory · regret · mortality · nostalgia · small-town life