Edwin Arlington Robinson was an early-twentieth-century American poet who wrote about ordinary people using traditional poetic forms of rhyme and meter. "Richard Cory," originally published in Robinson's 1897 collection The Children of the Night, recounts the story of a man who commits suicide despite being wealthy, educated, and envied by fellow townspeople.
The narrative poem introduces a man, Richard Cory, who appears to live a charmed life: he has good looks, wealth, status, and a sterling reputation. People look up to him and envy his position. But one night while the townspeople are going about their usual business, Richard Cory takes his own life by putting a bullet through his head.
Many, including Robinson's former sister-in-law Emma Shepherd, believe that "Richard Cory" was inspired by Robinson's older brother Herman. Herman was a charismatic and enviable man who married Emma, the woman Edwin Robinson himself had hoped to marry. But Herman soon squandered his money on failed financial endeavors and became an alcoholic, leading to his estrangement from his wife and children. He died from tuberculosis in 1909. Many believe that Herman's tragic fall from grace inspired the poem.
"Richard Cory" inspired Simon and Garfunkel's song of the same name, which was subsequently covered by famous artists such as Van Morrison and Paul McCartney and Wings. It also influenced numerous other musical compositions, including The Menzingers' "Richard Coury." A.R. Gurney's play of the same name was based on the poem, and humorist Garrison Keillor wrote a variation of the poem included in The Book of Guys. The poem's rich allusive history points to its enduring theme of a tragic life masked by outward composure.
