Richard Cory

by

"Richard Cory" is Robinson's most famous poem and one of the most widely anthologized poems in American literature. Set in the fictional "Tilbury Town" (based on Robinson's hometown of Gardiner, Maine), it tells the story of a wealthy, admired gentleman whose inner life is utterly at odds with how others perceive him. The poem's shocking final line has made it unforgettable. Simon & Garfunkel adapted it into a song in 1966, introducing it to a new generation.
Portrait of a gentleman — Richard Cory by Edwin Arlington Robinson
Portrait of a gentleman — Richard Cory 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.