EDGAR ALLAN POE (1809-1849)

There is a radical error, I think, in the usual mode of constructing a story. Either history affords a thesis-or
one is suggested by an incident of the day-or, at best, the author sets himself to work in the combination
of striking events to form merely the basis of his narrative-designing, generally, to fill in with description,
dialogue, or authorial comment, whatever crevices of fact, or action, may, from page to page, render
themselves apparent. I prefer commencing with the consideration of an effect. Keeping originality always
in view-for he is false to himself who ventures to dispense with so obvious and so readily attainable a
source of interest-I say to myself, in the first place, "Of the innumerable effects, or impressions, of which
the heart, the intellect, or (more generally) the soul is susceptible, what one shall, I, on the present
occasion, select?" Having chosen a novel, first, and secondly, a vivid effect, I con - whether by ordinary
incidents and peix tone, or the converse, or by peculiarity won of incident and tone-afterward looking
about me (or rather within) for such combinations of event, or tone, as shall best aid me in the
construction of the effect.

The brilliance of Poe (1809-1849) can be seen in the selections given here. The poems are as melodious
as Bryant's but more dramatic in their effects. "Israfel" is Poe's poetic apology for himself, while
"Annabel Lee" mourns the death of a beautiful girl, a recurring subject in Poe's writing.

One of the most remarkable things about the pair of poems reprinted below is their melody. The are
singable, not as a popular or concert song is, but with a wild kind of word music. As you read these lines,
aloud or to yourself, you will proba- bly be able to understand why Poe was considered so skillful a poet.
The rhythms of "Israfel" are rapid; the lines move fast. The beat is strong and skillfully varied. The vowel
sounds are higher than in ordinary writing, helping to make the voice that reads them sound like a
musical instrument such as the harp.

It is worth noting that the selections of Poe's work which follow have nothing to do with America. Unlike
those of some of his contemporaries, Poe's subjects and themes were either universal or exotic. He had
little interest in the topical or everyday occurrences, seeking instead to avoid fac- tuality or logical clarity
that would make a poem understandable to the common in- tellect. For the most part, Poe's poems do
not truly illuminate; they are not expected to have plot. He continually emphasized estrangement,
disappearance, silence, ob- livion, and all ideas which suggest non- being. It was the idea of
approximating nothingness that most excited him in his own poetry and that of other poets.

SELECTION I

In the motto, taken from the Koran, Poe took a few liberties with the description of Israfel by
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HIGHLIGHTS OF AMERICAN LITERATURE

adding the words, "whose heart strings are a lute." The words were probably suggested by a passage in a
poem, "Le Refus" by the French poet, Beranger (1780-1857). The song em- bodies Poe's wish for a
beauty superior to that of earth, more approaching the divine. The final stanzas voice the poet's despair
at the re- strictions of his environment. The poem first. appeared in Poe's Poems (1831) and was carried
several times in later editions.

ISRAFEL

"And the angel Israfel, whose heart- strings are a lute, and who has the sweetest voice of all God's
creatures,"-Koran

In Heaven a spirit doth dwell "Whose heart-strings are a lute"; None sing so wildly well As the angel
Israfel, And the giddy stars (so legends tell), Ceasing their hymns, attend the spell Of his voice, all mute.

Tottering above In her highest noon, The enamored moon Blushes with love,

While, to listen, the red levin (With the rapid Pleiads, even, Which were seven,) Pauses in Heaven.

And they say (the starry choir And the other listening things) That Israfeli's fire Is owing to that lyre By
which he sits and sings- The trembling living wire Of those unusual strings.

But the skies that angel trod, Where deep thoughts are a duty, Where Love's a grown-up God, Where the
Houri glances are Imbued with all the beauty Which we worship in a star.

ERIC

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EDGAR ALLAN POE

Therefore, thou art not wrong. Israfel, who despisest An unimpassioned song; To thee the laurels belong,
Best bard, because the wisest! Merrily live, and long!

The ecstasies above

With thy burning measures suit- Thy grief, thy joy, thy hate, thy love, With the fervor of thy lute- Well
may the stars be mute!

Yes, Heaven is thine; but this Is a world of sweets and sours; Our flowers are merely flowers, And the
shadow of the perfect bliss.

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The ecstasies above

With thy burning measures suit- Thy grief, thy joy, thy hate, thy love, With the fervor of thy lute Well may
the stars be mute!

Yes, Heaven is thine; but this Is a world of sweets and sours; Our flowers are merely flowers, And the
shadow of thy perfect bliss Is the sunshine of ours.

If I could dwell Where Israfel Hath dwelt, and he where I. He might not sing so wildly well A mortal
melody, While a bolder note than this might swell From my lyre within the sky.

1. Koran-the sacred book of Mohammedans.

2. "And the giddy stars. ceasing their hymns."-It was an ancient belief that the stars gave forth heavenly
music as they moved in their courses. "her highest noon"-position in which the moon is highest in the
sky. 3.
4. levin-lightning. 5. Pleiads. seven-According to Greek mythology these stars were once the seven
daughters of Atlas, the giant who supported the world on his shoulders.

6. Houri, a beautiful spirit of the Mohammedan paradise.

SELECTION II

This poem, which was the last one Poe wrote, is believed by many critics. to be an idealization of his
wife, Virginia Clemm, who died in 1847. It was published posthumously in the New York Tribune of
October 9, 1849. In six stanzas of alternating four and three stress lines, the poem has been called "the
culmination of Poe's lyric style in his recurrent theme of the loss of a beautiful and loved woman." Note
especially the incantatory use of repetition not only in words and lines but also in sustained
recapitulation as in lines 21-26.

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ERIC

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HIGHLIGHTS OF AMERICAN LITERATURE

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 than 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 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.

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mis kiiguvim by me sка.

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, 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 withot bringing me dreams. Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;

ERIC

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EDGAR ALLAN POE

EDIC

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.

SELECTIONS I and II

of a ballad? Select words and phrases that give the poem its unreal atmosphere.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Israfel

1. From his description of Israfel's song, what poetic techniques do you think Poe most ad- 1. What is the
mood of "Israfel?" of "Annabel mires? Find passages showing these tech-

FOR INTERPRETATION (OPTIONAL)

Lee?" 2. Do you think that Poe's poetry is too emotional? Explain your answer.

niques. 2. Explain the last stanza of "Israfel."

Annabel Lee

1. Cite lines which support the idea that the

poem is an idealized account of Poe's dead wife, Virginia Clemm.

2. How does the poem illustrate the timeless ness of love? How do you interpret the last four lines of the
last stanza?

3. Who do you think her "highborn kinsmen" are? (line 17).

3. What is your opinion of Poe as a poet?

4. Has the poetry of Poe had much influence on this genre in your country? If so, in what way?

5. Poe made good use of a number of poetic devices to create a mood appropriate to the theme of his
poems. The result is often a poem of almost haunting melody done with extreme. artistry. Make a list of
examples of the following poetic devices in the two poems, "Annabel Lee" "Israfel": rhyme (end and
intermal), al-literarion, assonance, and repetition.

4. What qualities of "Annabel Lee" remind you.