Edgar Allan Poe (1809 - 1849)


American poet and writer of short stories which are confident sojourns into the realm of the unknown.  He was born in Boston and orphaned at the age of two years .   He was taken in by the wealthy Allan family of Richmond, Virginia but was disowned after he was expelled from both the  University of Virginia and West Point.  He joined the army but was court-martialed for neglect of duty.  He published Tamerlane and Other Poems in 1827, Al Aaraaf in 1829 and Poems in 1831, but failed to earn a living by writing. He became editor of the Southern Literary Messenger in Richmond. In 1847 his wife died and he commemorated it in the poem "Annabel Lee."  He became an alcoholic and a drug addict and died at the age of 40. 

  Poe was the first US poet to become internationally known and admired.  His verse, for example,"Ulalume," 1847, "The Bells"1849, and "The Raven" 1845 has haunting lyric beauty.  His work infuenced the French Symbolists.

Annabel Lee

It was many and many a year ago,
           In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
           By the name of Annabel Lee;
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
           Than to love and be loved by me.

She was a child and I was a child,
           In this kingdom by the sea,
But we loved with a love that was more than love-
           I and my Annabel Lee-
With a love that the winged seraphs of Heaven
           Coveted her and me.

And this was the reason that, long ago,
           In this kingdom by the sea,
A wind blew out a cloud by night
           Chilling my Annabel Lee;
So that her highborn kinsmen came
           And bore her away from me,
To shut her up in a sepulchre
           In this kingdom by the sea.

The angels, not half so happy in Heaven,
           Went envying her and me:
Yet that was the reason ( as all men know,
           In this kingdom by the sea)
That the wind came out of the cloud, chilling
           And killing my Annabel Lee.

But our love it was stronger by far than the love
            Of those who were older than we-
            Of many far wiser than we-
And neither the angels in Heaven above
            Nor the demons down under the sea,
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul
            Of the beautiful Annabel Lee.

For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams
            Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And the stars never rise, but I see the bright eyes
            Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
Of my darling, my darling, my life and my bride,
            In her sepulchre there by the sea-
            In her tomb by the side of the sea.

                                                                                                     1849,1850

Poetry