Nimmo by Edwin Arlington Robinson

Name: Nimmo
Author: Edwin Arlington Robinson

The speaker challenges the distorted legends and repeated gossip surrounding Nimmo, insisting that those who knew him should remember especially his deep, velvet-lit eyes, which could brighten with emotion, laughter, anger, surprise, or Francesca. Over time, however, their light faded, leading others to imagine some hidden conflict. The speaker denies that Nimmo and Francesca ever fought and warns against probing memory with suspicion. A painter’s portrayal of Nimmo’s eyes is said to have revealed, or perhaps placed, the devil within them. After this, Francesca fled “from paradise,” apparently afraid of evil she perceived in Nimmo. Yet the speaker continues to trust him, particularly because he can smile, and admits a personal burden of guilt: he “played” and will have to pay. The speaker sees Nimmo as defeated and estranged but calm, carrying the memory of a woman who loved and changed. Francesca remains silent while their days pass without even the warmth of argument. Although the speaker fears women’s judgments when they believe they see clearly, he tells Francesca that he knows Nimmo as he appears to him. Nimmo is portrayed as bewildered and unfulfilled in the difficult task of being the man he was born to be. The speaker asks others to set aside their harsh recollections, maintaining that their worst memories amount to little beside his own knowledge and trust. He concedes that his account may paint Nimmo as a better man than the speaker himself, and admits that this judgment is true.

By Edwin Arlington Robinson · First published 1910 · Genre: Poetry, Dramatic Monologue, Psychological Poetry · 791 words

First lines

SINCE you remember Nimmo, and arrive

At such a false and florid and far drawn

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Nimmo is listed on Textopian as a poem by Edwin Arlington Robinson, dated 1910 CE.

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Work type: Poem
Author: Edwin Arlington Robinson
Date: 1910 CE
Language: English
Genres: Poetry, Dramatic Monologue, Psychological Poetry, Narrative Poetry, Tragic Poetry
Length: 791 words
Structure: 1 section, 48 paragraphs
Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)

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Genres

Poetry — "Nimmo" is a lyric poem composed in verse, using a highly patterned, rhetorical, and image-rich style rather than prose narrative.
Dramatic Monologue — A single unnamed speaker addresses an implied listener about Nimmo, revealing the speaker's own guilt, loyalty, uncertainty, and emotional investment while ostensibly recounting another man's story.
Psychological Poetry — The poem centers on unstable memory, suspicion, repression, estrangement, guilt, and the difficult inner lives of Nimmo, Francesca, and the speaker.
Narrative Poetry — Though deliberately incomplete and evasive, it constructs a narrative of Nimmo's relationship with Francesca, her withdrawal, his decline, and the speaker's retrospective interpretation.