Annabel Lee by Edgar Allen Poe

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.

I was a child and she 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 of a cloud, chilling
My beautiful Annabel Lee;
So that her highborn kinsman 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-
Yes!- that was the reason (as all men know,
In this kingdom by the sea)
That the wind came out of the cloud by night,
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 feel 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 the sepulchre there by the sea,
In her tomb by the sounding sea.
 Annabel Lee
by Edgar Allan Poe

Write your answers on a separate piece of paper. Due Wendesday, Sept. 12.

Love so strong that it endured beyond the grave was an ideal topic for poetry according to Edgar
Allan Poe. He wrote this beautiful lyric poem in 1847. Notice how the poet conveys his deep
feelings for Annabel Lee while telling you of her death. Notice also the lyric quality of the poem
—how it might easily be set to music.

THINKING IT OVER:

1. What made life meaningful to the narrator of the poem? __________________________

2. What was the real cause of Annabel Lee’s death, according to the poet? _____________

3. According to the poem, what would you say the narrator spends most of his time doing?

___________________________________________________________________________

STUDYING THE PASSAGE:

4. Find the main idea: Choose one.

a. How Annabel Lee died.
b. How love brings heartache
c. How the poet came to love Annabel Lee.
d. Annabel’s and the poet’s love for each other. _____

5. Find the facts: Mark each one true (+) or false (O).
a. The poet fell in love with Annabel long before he wrote the poem. _____
b. The poet and Annabel lived on an island. _____
c. Only demons could dissever the souls of the lovers. _____
d. Annabel Lee is buried far from the sea. _____
e. Even the angels envied the lovers. _____
f. The moon reminds the poet of Annabel’s smiling face. _____
g. The poet is always thinking of Annabel Lee. _____
h. Annabel died by drowning. _____
 6. Go beyond the facts: Which one of the following could you conclude from the poem?
a. The poet means to seek revenge for the death of his love.
b. The poet hates the sea because it reminds him of his love.
c. The poet will never love anyone so deeply again.
d. The poet’s love for Annabel is still so intense that she seems real to him _____

7. Determine the writer’s style and technique: Choose two answers.

a. The poet generally analyzes love and its meaning.
b. The poet describes a personal experience.
c. The poet gives a vivid description of Annabel Lee.
d. The poet communicates personal feelings. _____ _____

USING THE WORDS:

Words and their meanings: Find the bold word for these definitions from the poem.

8. grave, tomb _________________________

9. heavenly beings; angels _________________________

10. relatives _________________________

11. envied; desired wrongfully _________________________

12. break; cut; disunite _________________________

13. nighttime _________________________

WRITING ABOUT IT:

14. Reread the poem and notice how effective it is. Notice Poe’s careful choice of words, the
way he puts the words together, how he uses rhyme, and how his use of repetition gives rhythm
as well as an almost magical quality to the poem. On a separate piece of paper. write a 10-line
poem about someone or something that is special to you. Copy some of Poe’s methods, and see
how well you can convey your feelings.