The Sunken Crown by Edwin Arlington Robinson
In “The Sunken Crown,” an unnamed man is allowed to pursue a dangerous, solitary descent after a crown lying beneath the water. Onlookers detach themselves from his fate, claiming that his possible ruin is his own concern and that they are safe from the risk. They mock him as a foolish truant, a Narcissus, a jest of Ascalon, and a pretentious king of men, yet they wait to see what his plunge will reveal. If he succeeds in recovering and wearing the crown, they imagine that its chill may quiet his arrogance and return him to sleep.
By Edwin Arlington Robinson · First published 1921 · Genre: Lyric Poetry, Sonnet, Philosophical Poetry · 164 words
First lines
NOTHING will hold him longer - let him go; / Let him go down where others have gone down; / Little he cares whether we smile or frown, / Or if we know, or if we think we know.
The call is on him for his overthrow,
Say we; so let him rise, or let him drown.
Poor fool! He plunges for the sunken crown, / And we - we wait for what the plunge may show.
What this Textopian page supports
The Sunken Crown is listed on Textopian as a poem by Edwin Arlington Robinson, dated 1921 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: 1921 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Lyric Poetry, Sonnet, Philosophical Poetry, Symbolist Poetry, Psychological Poetry
- Length: 164 words
- Structure: 1 section, 9 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Very Easy (5th Grade or below)
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- Work identity for The Sunken Crown by Edwin Arlington Robinson
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Genres
- Lyric Poetry — The work is a compact, highly musical fourteen-line poem centered on a single emotional and philosophical situation rather than narrative development.
- Sonnet — It follows the formal structure of a fourteen-line sonnet, using a patterned rhyme scheme and a turn from public judgment of the diver to reflection on the consequences of his quest.
- Philosophical Poetry — The poem examines ambition, risk, social detachment, self-knowledge, arrogance, and the uncertain value of pursuing exalted ideals.
- Symbolist Poetry — The sunken crown, the plunge, water, and sleep function as suggestive symbols for dangerous aspiration, submerged authority, desire, and possible release from pride.
Tags
poetry · American literature · modernism · lyric poetry · narrative verse · dramatic monologue · psychological insight · existential themes · irony · tragedy · loneliness · alienation