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.”
Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December,
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.
Eagerly I wished the morrow;–vainly I had sought to borrow
From my books surcease of sorrow–sorrow for the lost Lenore–
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore–
Nameless here for evermore.
And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain
Thrilled me–filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;
So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating
“‘Tis some visiter entreating entrance at my chamber door–
Some late visiter entreating entrance at my chamber door;
This it is and nothing more.”
Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,
“Sir,” said I, “or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore;
But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping,
And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door,
That I scarce was sure I heard you”–here I opened wide the door–
Darkness there and nothing more.
Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortals ever dared to dream before;
But the silence was unbroken, and the stillness gave no token,
And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, “Lenore?”
This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, “Lenore!”–
Merely this and nothing more.
Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning,
Soon again I heard a tapping something louder than before.
“Surely,” said I, “surely that is something at my window lattice;
Let me see, then, what thereat is and this mystery explore–
Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore;–
‘Tis the wind and nothing more.
Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter,
In there stepped a stately Raven of the saintly days of yore.
Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he,
But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door–
Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door–
Perched, and sat, and nothing more.
Then the ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,
By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore,
“Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou,” I said, “art sure no craven,
Ghastly grim and ancient Raven wandering from the Nightly shore–
Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night’s Plutonian shore!”
Quoth the Raven, “Nevermore.”
Much I marvelled this ungainly fowl to hear discourse so plainly,
Though its answer little meaning–little relevancy bore;
For we cannot help agreeing that no living human being
Ever yet was blessed with seeing bird above his chamber door–
Bird or beast upon the sculptured bust above his chamber door,
With such name as “Nevermore.”
But the Raven, sitting lonely on that placid bust, spoke only
That one word, as if its soul in that one word he did outpour
Nothing farther then he uttered; not a feather then he fluttered–
Till I scarcely more than muttered: “Other friends have flown before–
On the morrow he will leave me, as my Hopes have flown before.”
Then the bird said “Nevermore.”
To read “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe in its entirety click here.
The photos:
1. Poppy, Papaver somniflorum
2. Sculpture from the Epping garden in Seattle
3. Pink muhly grass, Muhlenberia capillaris
4. Teasel, Dipsacus sylvestris
5. Spider web amid the violets
6. Stormy day, August 14, 2011
7. Raven at the Lane garden in Seattle, the inspiration for this post
8. Tree root claw at the Bloedel Reserve in Seattle
9. Handmade chest by Hayley Davison at the Southern Highlands Craft Show in Asheville, NC.
10. LTB at McGee Tyson airport in Knoxville, TN, waiting for his mom and GG to return from Seattle.
Happy Hallowe’en to you all from the Fairegarden clan!
Previous Hallowe’en posts:
Black And Blood-2008
Hallowe’en Fun-2009
Faire Hallowe’en Fun-2010
Frances
What a fun way to read the poem. Love the photos. Happy Halloween to you too Frances. Oh yes, and BOO.
Lovely pictures! Really enjoyed how you put them to the poem 🙂 Happy Samhain!
Frances, I loved this post. The photos are spooktacular and booeutiful. Hope your day is filled with the best chocolates and a lot of gardening. xxoogail
Raven’s get such a bad rap.
Beautiful and spooky at the same time. Happy Halloween to you.
That was totally wicked! L.O.V.E. Halloween.
Boo! That was a fun post. I love that photo of the raven. He or she is quite majestic. Happy Halloween.~~Dee
Lovely, creepy images. (Except the last one isn’t really creepy, but very cute.)
I’ve read this poem many times, but have never seen it illustrated so well as this. What luck in finding the raven! Although he’s the perfect image, my favorite is your stormy garden. Hope you have a spooktacular Halloween, Frances!
What a choice for Halloween – and beautifully, not spookily, illustrated. My preference. Your Bloedel photograph is a wonder. Thank you.
A fitting poem for the season. Happy Halloween. V
This is a truly elegant Halloween post of a classic poem. Happy Halloween.
Happy Halloween Frances! What a clever post!
Wonderful! Love the foggy slope and that spider web- perfect! Loved the post!
Oh my, that was just BRILLIANT!! Loved it!!!
Fantastic post Frances. I really enjoyed it.
“The Raven” is a classic Poe piece of work……..makes me think of that scary film…”The Birds”. I think the scary, creepy, dark and spooky sense of Halloween has come to North America…this evening will be interesting! Thanks for this posting….as usual…a delight.
What a fabulous and “spirited” post, poem and pix.
Have a Happy Halloween.
No goblins here. Too remote. Guess it’s too scary? 🙂
Happy Halloween Frances!
What a fun, and beautiful post! Happy Fowloween Frances!
Edgar, you passed way too early from this earth in dispair and without funds leaving a young wife desolate. This is one of my favorites and also my son’s. He did a report on it when he was in seventh grade.
Eileen
What a clever garden post. Love to follow you and your garden.
Wow, fabulous post! The photos are so fitting. Love the one of all the muhly grass!
Such a fitting and great post for a Halloween night.
Excellent! I had a ‘haunting’ time…:)
wow! one of my favorite ballads and your beautiful pictures. This is just wonderful!
Found you via blotanical ( I am new to that one) Now I don’t like my blog at all anymore LOL
I hope you don’t mind me linking to your blog.
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