Nautilus Island's hermit ...
... in her dotage.
Thirsting for ...
... lets them fall.
The season's ill— ...
... covers Blue Hill.
And now our ...
... he'd rather marry.
One dark night, ...
... mind's not right.
A car radio ...
... nobody's here—
only skunks, that ...
... the Trinitarian Church.
I stand on ...
... will not scare.
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
The Poem Aloud — Listen to Robert Lowell read "Skunk Hour."
More on "Careless Love" — Some background on the classic song mentioned in "Skunk Hour."
More About Confessionalism — An introduction to the movement with which Lowell was closely associated.
"Robert Lowell 101" — An introduction to Lowell's work, courtesy of the Poetry Foundation.
The Poet's Life and Work — A brief biography of Lowell at Poets.org.
A Chat with Lowell — Lowell discusses and reads some of his poems in a 1966 documentary.