The Tree in Pamela's Garden
Pamela, devoted to her roses and unwilling to pursue men, lets Tilbury Town believe that she cares more for the North Star than for romance. Her neighbors turn her reserve into a mystery, regretting that she has neither a cat nor a bird to occupy her affection and wondering what lies behind her smile, unaware that Pamela has heard their speculation.
By Edwin Arlington Robinson · First published 1921 · Genre: Sonnet, Lyric Poetry, Narrative Poetry · 135 words
First lines
PAMELA was too gentle to deceive
Her roses. "Let the men stay where they are,"
She said, "and if Apollo's avatar
Be one of them, I shall not have to grieve."
What this Textopian page supports
The Tree in Pamela's Garden 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: Sonnet, Lyric Poetry, Narrative Poetry, Satirical Poetry, Psychological Poetry
- Length: 135 words
- Structure: 1 section, 12 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for The Tree in Pamela's Garden by Edwin Arlington Robinson
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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Genres
- Sonnet — The work is a fourteen-line poem with a controlled rhyme scheme and compact volta-like development, using the traditional sonnet form to reveal Pamela's private awareness beneath public gossip.
- Lyric Poetry — It is a concise, highly stylized poem centered on mood, perception, irony, and the emotional distance between Pamela's inward life and her neighbors' assumptions.
- Narrative Poetry — Although brief, the poem presents a small narrative: Pamela cultivates an image of detachment, her neighbors speculate about her romantic life, and the ending discloses that she has heard them.
- Satirical Poetry — The poem gently satirizes Tilbury Town's intrusive neighbors, whose eagerness to turn silence and reserve into romance exposes their own curiosity and social pretensions.
Tags
poetry · American literature · lyric poem · nature · garden · tree symbolism · love · memory · loss · mortality · beauty · time