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Into the univeral valley。
The rosemary nods upon the grave;
The lily lolls upon the wave;
Wrapping the fog about its breast;
The ruin moulders into rest;
Looking like Lethe; see! the lake
A conscious slumber seems to take;
And would not; for the world; awake。
All Beauty sleeps!  and lo! where lies
(Her easement open to the skies)
Irene; with her Destinies!

Oh; lady bright! can it be right 
This window open to the night?
The wanton airs; from the tree…top;
Laughingly through the lattice drop 
The bodiless airs; a wizard rout;
Flit through thy chamber in and out;
And wave the curtain canopy
So fitfully  so fearfully 
Above the closed and fringed lid
'Neath which thy slumb'ring sould lies hid;
That o'er the floor and down the wall;
Like ghosts the shadows rise and fall!
Oh; lady dear; hast thous no fear?
Why and what art thou dreaming here?
Sure thou art come p'er far…off seas;
A wonder to these garden trees!
Strange is thy pallor! strange thy dress!
Strange; above all; thy length of tress;
And this all solemn silentness!

The lady sleeps! Oh; may her sleep;
Which is enduring; so be deep!
Heaven have her in its sacred keep!
This chamber changed for one more holy;
This bed for one more melancholy;
I pray to God that she may lie
Forever with unopened eye;
While the dim sheeted ghosts go by!

My love; she sleeps! Oh; may her sleep;
As it is lasting; so be deep!
Soft may the worms about her creep!
Far in the forest; dim and old;
For her may some tall vault unfold 
Some vault that oft hath flung its black
And winged pannels fluttering back;
Triumphant; o'er the crested palls;
Of her grand family funerals 
Some sepulchre; remote; alone;
Against whose portal she hath thrown;
In childhood; many an idle stone 
Some tomb fromout whose sounding door
She ne'er shall force an echo more;
Thrilling to think; poor child of sin!
It was the dead who groaned within。

1845。

~~~ End of Text ~~~



 BRIDAL BALLAD。

THE ring is on my hand;
    And the wreath is on my brow;
Satins and jewels grand
Are all at my command;
    And I am happy now。

And my lord he loves me well;
    But; when first he breathed his vow;
I felt my bosom swell …
For the words rang as a knell;
And the voice seemed _his_ who fell
In the battle down the dell;
    And who is happy now。

But he spoke to re…asure me;
    And he kissed my pallid brow;
While a reverie came o're me;
And to the church…yard bore me;
And I sighed to him before me;
Thinking him dead D'Elormie;
    〃Oh; I am happy now!〃

And thus the words were spoken;
    And this the plighted vow;
And; though my faith be broken;
And; though my heart be broken;
Behold the golden token
    That _proves_ me happy now!

Would God I could awaken!
    For I dream I know not how;
And my soul is sorely shaken
Lest an evil step be taken; …
Lest the dead who is forsaken
    May not be happy now。



1845。

~~~ End of Text ~~~



NOTES

1。 〃The Raven〃 was first published on the 29th January; 1845; in the New
York 〃Evening Mirror〃…a paper its author was then assistant editor of。 It
was prefaced by the following words; understood to have been written by N。
P。 Willis:〃We are permitted to copy (in advance of publication) from the
second number of the 〃American Review;〃 the following remarkable poem by
Edgar Poe。 In our opinion; it is the most effective single example of
'fugitive poetry' ever published in this country; and unsurpassed in
English poetry for subtle conception; masterly ingenuity of versification;
and consistent sustaining of imaginative lift and 'pokerishness。' It is
one of those 'dainties bred in a book' which we feed on。 It will stick to
the memory of everybody who reads it。〃 In the February number of the
〃American Review〃 the poem was published as by 〃Quarles;〃 and it was
introduced by the following note; evidently suggested if not written by
Poe himself。

'〃The following lines from a correspondent…besides the deep; quaint strain
of the sentiment; and the curious introduction of some ludicrous touches
amidst the serious and impressive; as was doubtless intended by the
author…appears to us one of the most felicitous specimens of unique
rhyming which has for some time met our eye。 The resources of English
rhythm for varieties of melody; measure; and sound; producing
corresponding diversities of effect; having been thoroughly studied; much
more perceived; by very few poets in the language。 While the classic
tongues; especially the Greek; possess; by power of accent; several
advantages for versification over our own; chiefly through greater
abundance of spondaic: feet; we have other and very great advantages of
sound by the modern usage of rhyme。 Alliteration is nearly the only effect
of that kind which the ancients had in common with us。 It will be seen
that much of the melody of 'The Raven' arises from alliteration; and the
studious use of similar sounds in unusual places。 In regard to its
measure; it may be noted that if all the verses were like the second; they
might properly be placed merely in short lines; producing a not uncommon
form; but the presence in all the others of one line…mostly the second in
the verse〃 (stanza?) 〃which flows continuously; with only an aspirate
pause in the middle; like that before the short line in the Sapphic
Adonic; while the fifth has at the middle pause no similarity of sound
with any part besides; gives the versification an entirely different
effect。 We could wish the capacities of our noble language in prosody were
better understood。〃 ED。 〃Am。 Rev。〃

2。 The bibliographical history of 〃The Bells〃 is curious。 The subject; and
some lines of the original version; having been suggested by the poet's
friend; Mrs。 Shew; Poe; when he wrote out the first draft of the poem;
headed it; 〃The Bells; By Mrs。 M。 A。 Shew。〃 This draft; now the editor's
property; consists of only seventeen lines; and read thus:

I。

The bells!…ah; the bells!
The little silver bells!
How fairy…like a melody there floats
From their throats
From their merry little throats
From the silver; tinkling throats
Of the bells; bells; bells
Of the bells!

                      II。

The bells!…ah; the bells !

The heavy iron bells!
How horrible a monody there floats
From their throats
From their deep…toned throats
From their melancholy throats!
How I shudder at the notes Of the bells; bells; bells
Of the bells !

In the autumn of 1848 Poe added another line to this poem; and sent it to
the editor of the 〃Union Magazine。〃 It was not published。 So; in the
following February; the poet forwarded to the same periodical a much
enlarged and altered transcript。 Three months having elapsed without
publication; another revision of the poem; similar to the current version;
was sent; and in the following October was published in the 〃Union
Magazine。〃

3。 This poem was first published in Colton's 〃American Review〃 for
December; 1847; as 〃To … Ulalume: a Ballad。〃 Being reprinted immediately
in the 〃Home Journal;〃 it was copied into various publications with the
name of the editor; N。 P。 Willis; appended; and was ascribed to him。 When
first published; it contained the following additional stanza which Poe
subsequently; at the suggestion of Mrs。 Whitman; wisely suppressed:

Said we then…we two; tben…〃Ah; can it
Have been that the woodlandish ghouls
The pitiful; the merciful ghouls
To bar up our path and to ban it
From the secret that lies in these wolds
Had drawn up the spectre of a planet
From the limbo of lunary souls
This sinfully scintillant planet
From the Hell of the planetary souls?〃

4。 〃To Helen!' (Mrs。 S。 Helen Whitman) was not published until November;
1848; although written several months earlier。 It first appeared in the
〃Union Magazine;〃 and with the omission; contrary to the knowledge or
desire of Poe; of the line; 〃Oh; Godl oh; Heaven…how my heart beats in
coupling those two words。〃

5。 〃Annabel Lee〃 was written early in 1849; and is evidently an expression
of the poet's undying love for his deceased bride; although at least one
of his lady admirers deemed it a response to her admiration。 Poe sent a
copy of the ballad to the 〃Union Magazine;〃 in which publication it
appeared in January; 1850; three months after the author's death。 While
suffering from 〃hope deferred〃 as to its fate; Poe presented a copy of
〃Annabel Lee〃 to the editor of the 〃Southern Literary Messenger;〃 who
published it in the November number of his periodical; a month after Poe's
death。 In the meantime the poet's own copy; left among his papers; passed
into the hands of the person engaged to edit his works; and he quoted the
poem in an obituary of Poe; in the New York 〃Tribune;〃 before any one else
had an opportunity of publishing it。

6。 〃A Valentine;〃 one of three poems addressed to Mrs。 Osgood; appears to
have been written early in 1846。

7。 〃An Enigma;〃 addressed to Mrs。 Sarah Anna Lewis (〃Stella〃); was sent to
that lady in a letter; in November; 1847; and the following March appeared
in Sartain's 〃Union Magazine。〃

8。 The sonnet; 〃To My Mother〃 (Maria Clemm); was sent for publication to
the short…lived 〃Flag of our Union;〃 early in 1849;' 

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