The Broken Ring by Eugene Field
The story revolves around a young girl who loses her mother's ring while playing near a river. The ring is then found by a fisherman who returns it to the girl. The narrative explores themes of loss, responsibility, and redemption.
By Eugene Field · First published 1897 · Genre: Lyric Poetry, Romanticism, Elegy · 238 words
First lines
To the willows of the brookside / The mill wheel sings to-day -- / Sings and weeps, / As the brooklet creeps / Wondering on its way; / And here is the ring _she_ gave me / With love's sweet promise then -- / It hath burst apart / Like the trusting heart / That may never be soothed again!
Oh, I would be a minstrel / To wander far and wide, / Weaving in song the merciless wrong / Done by a perjured bride! / Or I would be a soldier, / To seek in the bloody fray / What gifts of fate can compensate / For the pangs I suffer to-day!
What this Textopian page supports
The Broken Ring is listed on Textopian as a poem by Eugene Field, dated 1897 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Eugene Field
- Date: 1897 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Lyric Poetry, Romanticism, Elegy, Narrative Poetry, Nature Poetry
- Length: 238 words
- Structure: 1 section, 3 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for The Broken Ring by Eugene Field
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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Similar titles
- On A Cornelian Heart Which Was Broken by Lord Byron
- So Long by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
- When Love Is Lost by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
- Last Love by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
- I Saw Thee Weep by Lord Byron
- The Lament Of A Vanquished Beau by Langston Hughes
Genres
- Lyric Poetry — The poem expresses deep personal emotions and reflections on love and loss, characteristic of lyric poetry.
- Romanticism — Themes of love, nature, and emotional depth align with the Romantic movement's focus on individual experience and sentiment.
- Elegy — The poem mourns lost love and reflects on sorrow, fitting the elegiac tradition of lamenting the dead or lost.
- Narrative Poetry — The poem tells a story of love and betrayal, incorporating narrative elements within its lyrical form.
Tags
American Literature · Poetry · Romance · Tragedy · Love Story · Heartbreak · Loss · Grief · Melancholy · Nostalgia · Longing · Yearning