"Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came" is a poem by Robert Browning published in 1855. The title is inspired by Shakespeare, and the poem, an enigmatic and dark narrative, explores Roland's quest for a "Dark Tower" and the trials he faces, often influenced by his own imagination. Interpretations vary, seeing it as an allegory for a knight's quest, the futility of effort, or even the poet's self-reflection on his creative process.
“Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came” es un poema de Robert Browning publicado en 1855. El título se inspira en Shakespeare, y el poema, una narrativa enigmática y oscura, explora la búsqueda de Roland de una "Torre Oscura" y las pruebas que enfrenta, a menudo influenciadas por su propia imaginación. Las interpretaciones varían, considerándola una alegoría de la búsqueda de un caballero, la futilidad del esfuerzo o incluso la autorreflexión del poeta sobre su proceso creativo.
| Front | Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came |
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| Back | a poem Robert Browning 1855 the title is taken from Shakespeare's king Lear this masterful and enigmatic nightmare poem was apparently one result of resolution made by Browning in 1852 to write a poem a day Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came" is a poem by English author Robert Browning, written on January 2nd, 1852[1] and first published in 1855 in the collection titled Men and Women.[2] Setting and content The name Roland, references to his slughorn (a pseudo-medieval instrument which only ever existed in the mind of Thomas Chatterton and Browning himself), general medieval setting, and the title childe (a medieval term not for a child but for an untested knight) suggest that the protagonist is the paladin of The Song of Roland, the 11th century anonymous French chanson de geste, among other works. The poem opens with Roland's speculations about the truthfulness of the man who gives him directions to the Dark Tower. Browning does not retell the Song of Roland; his starting point is Shakespeare. The gloomy, cynical Roland seeks the tower and undergoes various hardships on the way, although most of the obstacles arise from his own imagination. Upon reaching the Tower, Roland finds all those who failed to reach the tower, and under it he finally shouts "Childe Roland to the dark tower came". What Roland finds inside the tower is not revealed. Interpretation William Lyon Phelps proposes three different interpretations of the poem: In the first two, the Tower is a symbol of a knightly quest. Success only comes through failure or the end is the realisation of futility. In his third interpretation, the Tower is simply damnation. For Margaret Atwood, Childe Roland is Browning himself, his quest is to write this poem, and the Dark Tower contains that which Roland/Browning fears most: Roland/Browning "in his poem-writing aspect". |
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