The Corridor by Edwin Arlington Robinson
The speaker remembers a man with a hungry face, though he cannot fully explain why he was drawn to him, whether from pride, pity, or impulse. He recalls only a few of the man’s words and sometimes forgets his name, yet feels compelled to carry his memory, whether the man is alive or dead. The speaker believes that both men recognized a possible bond, but remained silent and estranged. Looking back, he regrets the lost year and cannot undo the other man’s hunger for friendship.
By Edwin Arlington Robinson · First published 1916 · Genre: Lyric Poetry, Dramatic Monologue, Psychological Poetry · 180 words
First lines
IT may have been the pride in me for aught
I know, or just a patronizing whim; / But call it freak or fancy, or what not, / I cannot hide that hungry face of him.
I keep a scant half-dozen words he said,
And every now and then I lose his name; / He may be living or he may be dead, / But I must have him with me all the same.
What this Textopian page supports
The Corridor is listed on Textopian as a poem by Edwin Arlington Robinson, dated 1916 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: 1916 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Lyric Poetry, Dramatic Monologue, Psychological Poetry, Elegiac Poetry, Narrative Poetry
- Length: 180 words
- Structure: 1 section, 10 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
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- Work identity for The Corridor by Edwin Arlington Robinson
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Genres
- Lyric Poetry — The work is a concise first-person poem focused on an intense private emotional experience, using compressed language, imagery, and rhythmic verse.
- Dramatic Monologue — A single unnamed speaker addresses an implied listener or reader, revealing guilt, distance, and belated recognition through a personal confession.
- Psychological Poetry — The poem closely examines the speaker's memory, uncertainty, emotional restraint, and enduring consciousness of another person's unmet need for friendship.
- Elegiac Poetry — Its mood is mournful and retrospective, dwelling on possible death, irrecoverable time, and regret over a relationship that remained emotionally unfulfilled.
Tags
poetry · lyric poetry · dramatic monologue · American literature · early twentieth century · psychological insight · melancholy · isolation · alienation · mortality · disillusionment · unfulfilled lives