The Field of Glory by Edwin Arlington Robinson
War stirs Levi’s anguish at being bound to labor on his inherited acre while other men fight. He resents the monotonous life he shares with his old mother and longs for the wounds and distinction that battle might have brought him. When two battered, hungry remnants of the fighting come to his door, they mock him and his farm, yet their presence confirms for him the reality of the combat he has missed. Levi tells his mother of weapons and heroic deeds and declares that he will no longer remain a clown while others know battle. Her scant, rattling laughter and stern words destroy his hopes rather than encourage them. Lonely and weary of faith, Levi turns to the stars and prays for help, but receives no answer about war or his purpose. The poem reflects that outward rank and worth cannot be fully judged amid life’s shifting obscurities, and that even Levi, neglected and treated as insignificant, may be reborn into greatness.
By Edwin Arlington Robinson · First published 1896 · Genre: Narrative Poetry, War Poetry, Dramatic Monologue · 470 words
First lines
WAR shook the land where Levi dwelt, / And fired the dismal wrath he felt, / That such a doom was ever wrought
As his, to toil while others fought; / To toil, to dream - and still to dream,
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The Field of Glory is listed on Textopian as a poem by Edwin Arlington Robinson, dated 1896 CE.
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- Work type: Poem
- Author: Edwin Arlington Robinson
- Date: 1896 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Narrative Poetry, War Poetry, Dramatic Monologue, Psychological Poetry, Tragic Poetry
- Length: 470 words
- Structure: 1 section, 21 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)
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- Work identity for The Field of Glory by Edwin Arlington Robinson
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Genres
- Narrative Poetry — The work tells a complete story in verse, following Levi's resentment, encounter with returning soldiers, conflict with his mother, and unresolved search for meaning.
- War Poetry — War is the central external event: Levi envies those who fight, confronts wounded veterans, and longs for the status and transformative experience associated with battle.
- Dramatic Monologue — Although voiced by a third-person narrator, the poem closely dramatizes Levi's inward anger, frustration, longing, and spiritual uncertainty.
- Psychological Poetry — Its primary concern is Levi's emotional and mental conflict, especially his envy, alienation, inherited resentment, social humiliation, and desire for rebirth through heroic action.
Tags
poetry · American literature · lyric poetry · narrative poetry · modernism · New England · small-town life · psychological insight · melancholy · isolation · disillusionment · human struggle