The Voice of Age by Edwin Arlington Robinson
The poem portrays an aged woman whose silver hair, lace, serene manner, and surviving loveliness suggest both severe judgment and deep mercy. She views modern people and their ways with skepticism, wondering whether they are mad and whether they might choose less foolish actions. She believes they should pay attention to warnings and seek a firmer spiritual guidance than their own self-created ideals. When told that grace now lies in serving the race, she appears politely reassured, though perhaps not truly convinced. She disapproves of much that she hears and fears for the world, while retaining faint, private traces of romance. In her view, later times might be acceptable if people were wiser and if immature adults learned to see clearly.
By Edwin Arlington Robinson · First published 1916 · Genre: Lyric Poetry, Narrative Poetry, Philosophical Poetry · 275 words
First lines
SHE'D look upon us, if she could, / As hard as Rhadamanthus would; / Yet one may see, - who sees her face, / Her crown of silver and of lace, / Her mystical serene address
Of age alloyed with loveliness, -
That she would not annihilate
The frailest of things animate.
What this Textopian page supports
The Voice of Age 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, Narrative Poetry, Philosophical Poetry, Satirical Poetry, Dramatic Monologue
- Length: 275 words
- Structure: 1 section, 20 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Difficult (College Level)
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Genres
- Lyric Poetry — The work is a concise, formally crafted poem that develops a reflective emotional and intellectual response to an aged female figure.
- Narrative Poetry — Although it has no conventional plot, the poem presents a speaker's sustained description of a character, her judgments, and her implied relation to modern society.
- Philosophical Poetry — It considers morality, wisdom, spiritual guidance, social progress, and the limitations of human self-assurance.
- Satirical Poetry — The poem gently but pointedly mocks contemporary claims to enlightenment, particularly the belief that grace lies in 'doing for the race' and in self-created moral authority.
Tags
poetry · American literature · modernist poetry · lyric poetry · aging · mortality · time · memory · isolation · melancholy · psychological insight · human nature