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Nevermore

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Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore--
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
"'Tis some visiter," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door--
Only this and nothing more."

Comments

  1. RickJanuary 29, 2010 at 2:14 PM

    Poe didn't publish much poetry and that's okay by me.

    ReplyDelete
  2. James FergusonJanuary 29, 2010 at 3:04 PM

    What, you don't like The Raven!

    ReplyDelete
  3. RickJanuary 29, 2010 at 4:09 PM

    I suspect that question is at least partly facetious.

    The Raven is admirable in its own way. It works as a kind of horror story in verse. The twelve year old boy in me--yes, he's still in there somewhere--also thrills to some of its effects. But when not in a twelve year old boy mode, I find it pretty corny.

    ReplyDelete
  4. RickJanuary 29, 2010 at 4:11 PM

    By the way, that engraving is a little odd. The bird looks more like a seagull than a raven.

    ReplyDelete
  5. James FergusonJanuary 29, 2010 at 4:13 PM

    I'm glad you didn't take my comment seriously. Personally, I prefer The Gold Bug,

    http://classiclit.about.com/library/bl-etexts/eapoe/bl-eapoe-goldbug.htm

    ReplyDelete
  6. avrdsJanuary 29, 2010 at 4:46 PM

    I come from a very working class family with few books etc in the house. But my father did read Poe, and would read the Raven and other Poe stories and poems aloud to us when my brother and I were little. Funny, the story I remember most clearly is the Gold Bug.

    Hadn't thought about that in years. I should read it again.

    Did you hear that the mystery person who always visits Poe's grave didn't show this year? I wonder where Dooxy is?

    ReplyDelete
  7. RickJanuary 29, 2010 at 6:49 PM

    Some of the stories hold up quite well, especially those starring Auguste Dupin.

    ReplyDelete
  8. JAbelJanuary 30, 2010 at 6:32 AM

    Arvds,You beat me to the Dooxy punchline.The reading of The Raven on one the Simpsons Halloween shows remains my favorite version.

    ReplyDelete
  9. TripplerFebruary 7, 2010 at 7:01 AM

    I have always enjoyed this great poem. Years ago there was talk that it was partly plagiarized. But you don't hear much of that nowadays. Maybe we shouldn't.

    ReplyDelete

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