Respond to this Poe poem in any way you feel appropriate:
“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;
But we loved with a love that 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, chilling
My beautiful Annabel Lee;
So that her highborn kinsman came
And bore her away from me,
To shut her up in a sepulcher
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
Of my darling- my darling- my life and my bride,
In the sepulcher there by the sea,
In her tomb by the sounding sea.
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This poem is far different from the majority of Poe's other works, in that it is far less "creepy" and far more poetic and light. Though this does not take away from the sadness of the loss of Annabel Lee. Poe alternates between tetrameter and trimeter which I think sets a balance between the Gothic element and the romance of the story. The rhythm set by the phrasing seems almost to be the rhythm at which Poe's mind was thinking.
ReplyDeleteI think that Annabel Lee represents Poe's thirteen year old cousin (that he married),named Virginia Clemm. Poe writes
"I was a child and she was a child"
This means that she literally was a child (which she was), and he felt as though he were a child for the first and only time in his life.
"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."
The angels represent the public who saw the true love between the child and the adult and became jealous and offended. The wind that chilled and killed her represents the fact that Virginia died of Tuberculosis.
Poe's "Annabel Lee" is a very melancholy poem about the power of love. Poe describes the depth of his love for his bride "Annabel Lee." He explains how their love affair started when they were children and sounds insane when he says that envious angels caused Annabel Lee's death to seperate the couple. Poe uses strong words and dark imagery to express his great sadness over her death. Poe describes how he never stops thinking about is beloved bride. He even goes to her grave to lay by her side.
ReplyDeleteLike many of Poe's poems, this one involves death. However, this piece appears to be a reflection of Poe's life. He married his cousin Virginia when she was very young and many people disapproved because of her age. When she died in her twenties Poe was devestated and insisted they would always be together in spirit.
I agree with Matt, this is far less 'creepy' than most of Poe's works.
ReplyDeleteI think that this is a poem about his childhood love for a girl named Annabel Lee; it shows you can fall in love at any age and with memories the love can stay alive throughout your life. I think he's saying that you don't have to be old, or wise, or smart, or rich to be in love. Falling in love is just fate until "The angels, not half so happy in heaven,
Went envying her and me-
...Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee." the one you love passes away.