Pambo by Robert Browning
Pambo asks a professor to explain a psalm, but leaves after hearing its first verse about guarding his tongue. Years later, he says he is still struggling to practise that instruction; the speaker admits to the same failure.
By Robert Browning · Genre: Narrative Poetry, Didactic Poetry · 602 words
First lines
Suppose that we part (work done, comes play) / With a grave tale told in crambo / -- As our hearty sires were wont to say -- / Whereof the hero is Pambo?
Do you happen to know who Pambo was? / Nor I -- but this much have heard of him: / He entered one day a college-class, / And asked -- was it so absurd of him? --
Genres
- Narrative Poetry — Rhymed stanzas recount Pambo's request for instruction, his departure, and his encounter with the professor years later.
- Didactic Poetry — Pambo's lifelong difficulty with avoiding offensive speech, followed by the speaker's admission, distinguishes reciting a moral rule from practising it.
Tags
self-restraint · speech · psalms · teaching · moral practice · criticism
What this Textopian page supports
Pambo is listed on Textopian as a poem by Robert Browning, dated Date unknown.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Robert Browning
- Date: Date unknown
- Language: English
- Genres: Narrative Poetry, Didactic Poetry
- Length: 602 words
- Structure: 1 section, 13 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
Good citation fit
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- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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