Richard Cory
Poem by Edwin Arlington Robinson
Whenever Richard Cory went down town,
We people on the pavement looked at him:
He was a gentleman from sole to crown,
Clean favored, and imperially slim.
And he was always quietly arrayed,
And he was always human when he talked;
But still he fluttered pulses when he said,
'Good-morning,' and he glittered when he walked.
And he was rich - yes, richer than a king -
And admirably schooled in every grace:
In fine, we thought that he was everything
To make us wish that we were in his place.
So on we worked, and waited for the light,
And went without the meat, and cursed the bread;
And Richard Cory, one calm summer night,
Went home and put a bullet through his head.
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Read poems about / on: summer, people, home, light, night, school, work
I'm not sure Mr Robinson's poem would be applicable to Jeffrey Epstein's suicide, at all.
Report ReplyI taught this poem in high school and I still like it very much. Richard Cory's suicide seems at odds with the precise rhymes and meter. Where people are concerned, appearances can be deceptive.
Report ReplyShake me wake
Report ReplyMy father, When mom left, he said one day that he would do it. In life, dad always kept his word.
Report ReplyI read this poem in junior high school in the early '60's. I rediscovered it when Simon and Garfunkel put it to music; I'm not sure which album, but it's certainly worth listening to.
Report ReplyThe album was The Sounds of Silence (1965) .
I never forgot reading this poem when I was in High School,1958, thereabouts. The message remained with me, although I could not remember the author nor poem title. Yesterday, I heard Evangelist Begg recite ' Richard Cory'. Amazing.
Report ReplyThe poem was " Richard Cory" , by Edward Arlington Robinson, from his Spoon River Anthology (1915) .
The people wanted to be like Richard Corey. Be careful what you wish for. To walk in Richard’s shoes is to walk with unbearable suffering.
Report ReplyI am Richard Cory. Not rich, just expected to be strong and capable. So not
Report ReplySomeone once said, You need to be quite a juggler if you have a reputation to keep up and a reputation to live down.
Report Replygreat line. first time I came across it
A beautiful poem no doubt. A whole novel in a few verses. I lovit
Report ReplyThe two recent suicides of the famous and successful people reminded me of this poem.
Report ReplyWe'll never know, hopefully, that feeling.
This is most important after the celebrity suicides recently.
Report ReplyRichard Cory has stayed with me for 4 decades, especially during hard times.
Report ReplyI like this poem so much, a day can not go by that I will not read it. in one word my favorite
Report ReplyI like this poem so much, that I like to go through it everyday
Report ReplyThis is the poem I told you about
Report ReplyThanks for showing me the poem, Grandpa! Can't wait to see you this Hanukkah!
My mothers favorite poem.
Report ReplyThis shows that all that is glitter is not gold, someone we envy may be dying inside without anyone knowing. It got to show that appearance can be deceptive.
Report Replyphysical appearance may be deceptive
Report ReplyBeautiful poem...beautiful lines and description.
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