Edgar Allan Poe may be the king of the macabre tale, but this troubled and tortured soul also had a serious romantic side. We’re all familiar with his works of suspense and horror: “The Raven”, “The Tell-Tale Heart”, “The Murders in the Rue Morgue”, and “The Fall of the House of Usher”, to name a few. But I want to introduce you to the softer side of Poe.
Allow me to acquaint you with two of my favourite Poe love poems. The first you may be familiar with, but probably not the second: the haunting “Annabel Lee”, and the somewhat obscure but disturbingly beautiful “For Annie”.
The death of a beautiful woman is, unquestionably, the most poetical topic in the world — and equally is it beyond doubt that the lips best suited for such topic are those of a bereaved lover.
While Poe wrote these words referencing his poem “The Raven” in the essay “The Philosophy of Composition”, they’re perfectly applicable to “Annabel Lee” as well.
“Annabel Lee” is an agonizing look into the heart and soul of a man who is mourning the woman he loves. I say “loves” — present tense — because it’s clear that even though she’s gone, he’s still in love with her. And that’s what makes this poem so special. It’s not speaking of a love lost, but of a love that’s momentarily absent.
Poe hits the tone of this poem beautifully. It’s full of gorgeous imagery and exquisitely crafted verses. It’s lyrical and exceptionally moving. Poe strikes a balance of melancholy and sorrow, without letting the piece become depressing.
Irresistible to the hopeless romantics among us, “Annabel Lee” will appeal to all die-hard Poe fans alike. With it, Poe has once again left his unique, indelible mark on the soul of all who read his writing.
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
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.
I was a child and she was a child,
In this kingdom by the sea;
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
In the sepulchre there by the sea,
In her tomb by the sounding sea.
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
“For Annie” was a poem that I stumbled across in my reading one day. I had never heard of it, but when I read it, it made my heart ache. What an incredibly touching poem this is. I’m shocked that it isn’t more widely known amongst not only Poe’s work, but poetry in general.
There isn’t much for me to say about “For Annie”. The poem speaks for itself, possibly better than any other of Poe’s writings. This is truly a work of art. It’s sad and disturbing, but again, Poe has carefully navigated the fine line between pensive wistfulness and all-out despair.
While the topic is once again death, Poe has used the narrator’s positive thoughts of his Annie to provide a spark of hope, and by the time we reach the end of the poem, the reader is bathed with a true sense of peace. A remarkable feat, the likes of which only Edgar Allan Poe could accomplish. And what could be more beautiful and optimistic than finding comfort in spite of death, because you love and are loved?
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
For Annie
Thank Heaven! the crisis-
The danger is past,
And the lingering illness
Is over at last-
And the fever called “Living”
Is conquered at last.
Sadly, I know
I am shorn of my strength,
And no muscle I move
As I lie at full length-
But no matter!-I feel
I am better at length.
The moaning and groaning,
The sighing and sobbing,
Are quieted now,
With that horrible throbbing
At heart:- ah, that horrible,
Horrible throbbing!
The sickness- the nausea-
The pitiless pain-
Have ceased, with the fever
That maddened my brain-
With the fever called “Living”
That burned in my brain.
And oh! of all tortures
That torture the worst
Has abated- the terrible
Torture of thirst
For the naphthaline river
Of Passion accurst:-
I have drunk of a water
That quenches all thirst:-
And ah! let it never
Be foolishly said
That my room it is gloomy
And narrow my bed;
For man never slept
In a different bed-
And, to sleep, you must slumber
In just such a bed.
My tantalized spirit
Here blandly reposes,
Forgetting, or never
Regretting its roses-
Its old agitations
Of myrtles and roses:
For now, while so quietly
Lying, it fancies
A holier odor
About it, of pansies-
A rosemary odor,
Commingled with pansies-
With rue and the beautiful
Puritan pansies.
And so it lies happily,
Bathing in many
A dream of the truth
And the beauty of Annie-
Drowned in a bath
Of the tresses of Annie.
When the light was extinguished,
She covered me warm,
And she prayed to the angels
To keep me from harm-
To the queen of the angels
To shield me from harm.
And I lie so composedly,
Now, in my bed,
(Knowing her love)
That you fancy me dead-
And I rest so contentedly,
Now, in my bed,
(With her love at my breast)
That you fancy me dead-
That you shudder to look at me,
Thinking me dead.
But my heart it is brighter
Than all of the many
Stars in the sky,
For it sparkles with Annie-
With the thought of the light
Of the eyes of my Annie.
It’s clear that Poe understood what so few people do — what it’s like to truly “LOVE” someone. Today this word gets tossed around as if it were common and unremarkable. Every day is filled with, “I love this, I love that, and I love you,” but, oh, how we’re misusing a word which, when used properly, speaks louder than anything you can imagine. It’s been cheapened and sullied, and no longer has any real meaning.
So what is the true meaning of the word “love”? If you want to know whether or not you love someone, ask yourself two questions: 1) “Can I live without this person?” And most importantly, 2) “Would I give my life for this person?” If you answer “no” to either of those questions, or you even have to ponder your answer, then you have no business allowing the words “I love you” to pass your lips. And feelings you have which are devoid of these two points are not love at all. Not real love. Not true love.
“But we loved with a love that was more than love.” When you feel THAT? Then, and only then, have you experienced love the way God intended it to be: pure, perfect, and true. Untainted by appearance or convenience. Unmarred by circumstance and situation. Love in its purest, truest form doesn’t need to be learned. It can’t be manufactured, and it surely can’t be pretended. And most importantly, it can’t be undone.
There is no falling out of love. There’s only never having loved in the first place.
♥ ♥
*applauds* Another first-rate post from the best writer in the blogosphere, and it’s on one of my favorite writers? You had me hooked from the opening quote.
Like most people, I became acquainted with Poe through his horror tales. Then I discovered he was equally adept at other genres, from mystery to adventure. After that, I read his poems, and I was in awe. How could one man transport us so effectively with just a piece of paper and a pen? And how could the same man who chilled us with stories of homicidal maniacs also charm us with lyrical meditations on the inexpressible sorrow of lost love? No wonder he’s widely regarded as a literary giant.
As a fan of Poe, I’m thrilled to see you turn your artistic eye toward two of his most beautiful love poems. You’re so right about the fact that people overuse and misuse the word “love.” Well, you’ve done much to help reclaim it today, and show that it deserves to be uttered only by those who understand its full and true meaning. As an artist, and a uniquely talented one at that, you’ve demonstrated a rare and in-depth understanding of what Poe was striving to express.
Even those of us who have read these works many times can benefit from looking at them with fresh eyes. And that’s what you’ve done for us here, Wendy. Thanks for that. Well done. I couldn’t be more impressed.
Thanks, Paul. I’m obviously a fan of Poe, and while I most definitely enjoy his spookier work, I’m a complete sucker for the romantic stuff. And no one does love/romance quite like Edgar Allan Poe. He had such a unique and unparalleled understanding of love. And that outlook is so pronounced in his poems, (specifically the ones in this post), that you can’t help but internalize what Poe is saying.
“Annabel Lee” is truly my favourite love poem by any author. But “For Annie” just tugs deep down in my soul. It’s so beautiful that I read it over and over again, and each time I feel it even more than the last time.
I hope this post will bring these exceptional poems more of the exposure they desperately deserve.
Very thoughtful post, and I enjoy reading the works of Poe that I have missed and you have brought to my attention! However… ;)
I disagree with your qualifying questions of loving someone. Perhaps I am taking #1 (“Can I live without this person?”) too literally, but I do believe that human beings CAN love others and live “without” them. I think our spirit MUST rise up above human needs, wants and desires sometimes and realize that we can go on, without that person (whether they are still on earth or have passed), but that doesn’t mean we don’t truly love someone. If someone has passed, we can feel joy knowing that we loved that person, and perhaps they will always be with us in spirit, but what of the people who simply cannot be together on earth, despite being present on it at the same time? No, I have to disagree – I believe you can love someone fully, and if circumstances prevent it, your life will go on without them. Hopefully, one will be a better person for loving, no matter the outcome.
As for question #2 – I think we may be surprised at how many people we would give our lives for…even strangers. I’m not sure if that’s a God-given gift or a gut-instinct (probably both).
“There’s no falling out of love. There’s only never having loved in the first place.” I beg to differ there too, but I guess that comes with experience (not always the good kind)? Not only for myself, but for others I know. I think I can discern love from lust, I trust my own feelings, and I think I’m a pretty good observer of others as well. No one can ever convince me that certain people I know never actually loved in the first place, but time and events can do funny things.
In my opinion, I think we should love SIMPLY, and I don’t think we should analyze it too much. If we say, “I love this person, or I love that idea” – well, is that a bad thing? I can unabashedly say “I LOVE and adore my cats” (all animals, really). I know God knows that about me, and there are no qualifying questions anyone can put before me to prove otherwise.
OK, maybe it’s a bit much to say “I love Cheetos” but…you get the picture! :D I will agree that loving Cheetos is cheapening the meaning of the word!
So, to simplify, perhaps you meant human-human love. I love my S.O. with all of my heart, and I think it’s OK to be more open about love, its frustrations and its hardships, and not to put it in a box and say “if you don’t believe this and this, then you don’t really love or never really loved.”
Sorry, Wendy! You know I “love” you! ;) And I don’t mean to argue – just a healthy differing of opinion. Sheesh, I didn’t even go into any gritty detail to support my argument, and it’s still a long comment!
I’d LOVE to reply…but I’m backin’ away from the comments, hands upraised! Mandy’s on FIRE! :-]
*grabs fire extinguisher* Quick, Frank! Get down! ;D
First “LOL moment” today! :-]
Mandy, you never need to apologize for “arguing”. I’ve never been a person who shies away from conflict, be it friendly or hostile. And people who don’t like to discuss things really don’t have any business blogging, as far as I’m concerned. So thanks for taking the time to read and leave a comment at all. :)
Now, while I can appreciate your position, I’m sticking to my guns here. But I will clarify a few things.
The first thing I will say is that there is more than one kind of “love”. I see now that I didn’t make this clear in my post (I thought it would be obvious because of the topics of the poems.) I’m talking about strict human-human, as you put it, “man+woman” kind of love. (Forget political correctness here). I’m talking about true love, soul mates, the real deal. There is of course the love that we feel for relatives and friends and even our pets. But this isn’t the love I’m talking about.
Instead of looking at my qualifying questions as a means to discover WHO you love, try to look at it from the perspective of weeding out who you DON’T love. Maybe that will make it a bit more palatable for you. (And yes, I would say don’t take the first point quite so literally — as you say, people die, etc., and we learn to move on). If you’re with someone that you know for a fact you don’t need/want to wake up to, or kiss good night, every night for the rest of your life, (or give your life for), then I say, you aren’t in love w/ them, move on and hold out for the “right” one. You could have feelings for this person, yes, but it isn’t that once in a lifetime, perfect match love. And yes, I believe such a thing exists.
I’m sure there are cases where human instinct would result in one person giving their life for another, even a perfect stranger. But I’m challenging people to ask themselves that question NOW, not in a moment of crisis: Is this person I’m with someone who I’d take a bullet for? Try it. You might surprise yourself. There are very, VERY few people that I can outright say, “Yes, I would gladly give my life for yours.” If you pointed out a stranger and asked me if I’d die for him/her, I’d say no. Now, in the correct situation, could I possibly end up doing just that? Of course. But doing something in a tense, scary moment when instinct takes over is not the same as pre-emptively saying, “I would do this b/c I love you, not b/c instinct drove me to do it.” It’s not the same thing.
Now, you say you can discern love from lust, and I’m sure you can. But there isn’t just love and lust out there. I think people interchange “like” and “love” a lot. I think there can be varying degrees of “like”, but not “love”. You can be very fond of someone, so much so that to the world you could call it love. But this is the whole point of my post. These are NOT the same thing. If you “fall out of love” with someone, then what you were feeling for them is not that true, soul mate love; it’s not the love that is God-given, it’s not that bond which is forged by the hand of God alone between two people who were made for each other. It’s a shallower, worldly love, which in my opinion has no business being called love in the first place. It’s extreme “like”. Which hey, sounds stupid, so let’s just slap that word “love” on it. Sorry, I just don’t think that’s right.
So now that you and I have written three blog posts worth … ;D … I <3 you, big Twitter-sis/doppelgänger! And I happen to be rather fond of Cheetos myself. ;)
Ouch – I’m still singed a bit from that fire, Frank! :D sssssssssssssssssssss
Well, we can agree to disagree.
First off, if someone doesn’t WANT to wake up next to someone else – yes, totally agree – they need to hit the road! I think that point is totally acceptable.
However, I don’t believe there is only ONE person out there in the world for us, and therefore, only one person we truly love – and the rest are “extreme likes” (you may change your mind someday – I found myself to be a stubborn 20-something as well). I just don’t. There are people out there that have been blessed enough to find one of those imperfect-perfect people with whom to share their lives – perhaps they could be called soulmates – but whose to say there can’t be more than one soulmate out there? I don’t believe that idea has been decreed in any holy texts, whether an organized religion says so or not. (Many of our biblical forefathers loved more than one woman!) I guess it depends on how you define “soulmate” – I don’t really like the term myself – I don’t think it’s very inclusive.
“Move on and hold out for the right one” – this almost sounds like the excuse a lot of people give for divorce nowadays. “Irreconcilable differences” – ha. I think I’ve found my soulmate over here, but hey, I happen to be married, so…then what? “Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” Even the relationship between “soulmates” could be difficult, brought to the brink. I don’t think even God designed marriage to be perfect – give and take that can be difficult 7 years down the road…or 47 years down the road!
There’s also the idea that maybe, since our life is part of God’s plan (depending on what you believe, of course – I’m just floating ideas out there), that meeting and loving these people that could or could not be our soulmates (because how could really ever know?) is meant to be…by God. Oh, this conversation could go on and on, and no one would ever win!
I don’t choose to use those qualifiers to decide that “eh, I guess he’s not perfect.” Nobody is. How sad would it be to think that someone might never experience true love because they have decided to shut their eyes to anything but perfection. I think all love (or “extreme like,” if you prefer) is God-given. That’s what we’re called to do – to love one another. We just love some more than others.
Anyway, to each her own! This is a very rambling reply, because I’m doing it on the fly!
Life – it’s either all a lot more complicated than we can imagine or it’s so danged simple, that it just flew right over our heads!
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