'
'''A ' ''''' 'O '
''S T''T ''
I'
S'
''
''' 'O ''
''T T O ' ''' 'O ' ''''
39
''ST
T '''T ' T 'I '' ST '''T
1
8 84
'opyrzgfi t
,
' ' ''TTO N
'
'
1883,
'''
'O '''''
'
'N I '''SI T ' '''SS
O 'N 'I 'SO N ''' S O ' '
''''I '''
'
,
'
I'
''S T ''TI O 'S
'' ' '
'
'rawn
an
d
e n g ra'e d
'
z
T'''O '
'
m aer t/z e
’
per'i si on of
su
''O ''' T 'N ''''
'
'
T
'''''
''
'
O ''' u p o n a nn i d n i g h t dreary
While 1 po nd ere d wea k an d w e ary
O ve r man y a 'u aint an d cu rio u s
'olu m e o f fo rgotte n lo r e
While I no d d ed n earl y n appin g
S u d d enly th er e came a tapping
'S o f so m e o n e g e ntl y rappi n g
Rappin g at m y ch am b er d oo r
T is so me 'isito r I m utt e red
Tappin g at my chamb er doo r
Onl y this and n othi ng mo re
,
'
,
,
'
,
,
'
,
,
'
”
,
,
'
Ah disti nc tly I r eme m b er
It w a s i n th e bleak 'e c e mb e r
'n d ea ch s e p ar at e dying e m b e r
W r o u ght i ts ghost u p o n the flo o r
'age rl y I wish e d the mo rrow '
'a inl y I h a d tri ed to b o rrow
Fro m my b o oks su r ce as e o f so rr ow
S o rrow fo r th e l ost Leno r e
Fo r th e rare and r ad iant m ai d en
Who m the a n g e ls n am e L e no r e
N a m e l e ss h ere fo r e v er mo re
,
,
'
'
A n d th e sil k e n s a d u n c e rt a in
Ru stlin g o f each p u rple c u rt a i n
Th r illed m e — fill e d m e with fa n tasti c
T er ro rs n e v e r felt b e fo re '
So that n ow to still th e b e ati n g
O f m y h ea rt I sto o d r epeating
T i s so m e v i sito r e ntreati n g
'n tran ce at m y cha m b e r doo r
So m e l a t e visito r en t rea tin g
'n t rance at m y c h am b er do o r '
Thi s i t is a nd n othi n g mo re
'
,
,
,
,
’
‘
'
P re s en tly m y sou l
grew s t ro n g er '
'e sitati n g the n
n o lo nge r
s ai d I
Si r
o r 'adam trn l
'o u r fo r g i v e ne ss
I i m plo r e '
B ut th e fact is
I was napp ing
And so g e ntly y o u
c a m e r app i n g
A n d so faintl y
y o u c a m e tappi n
Tappi ng at my
cha m ber doo r
That I s c ar ce was su r
I h e ard y o u
'er e I Op en e d
wide th e doo r
'ar k ness there and
n othi n g mo r e
,
”
,
,
,
,
'
‘
,
”
'
'ee p into that dark n ess p ee ring
,
'o u bt in g d rea m ing d rea m s no m o rtals
'v er dared to d rea m b efo re '
,
B u t the silence was u n b roken
An d the d arkness g a v e n o t oken
An d the o nly wo r d t h e re sp oken
'
Was the whisp ere d wo r d
Leno r e '
This I whisp ere d and an e cho
'u r m u red b ack th e wo rd L e no re '
'e re ly t his an d nothi ng mo re
,
,
,
,
,
'
Then into the cha m b er turnin g
All my so u l w ithi n m e b u rning
S oo n I h ear d a g ain a tapp in g
S o m e t h i n g lo u de r th an b efo re
'
sai d I
su rely t h at is
S u rely
S o m eth i n g at m y win d ow lat t ice '
,
,
'
,
,
Op en h ere I fl ung the shu tt er
Wh en with m an y a fli rt an d flutt e r
I n th e r e stepp e d a statel y Ra v e n
O f th e saintly days o f y o r e
Not th e l ea st O b e isan ce m a d e h e '
Not an i n st a nt stopp e d o r st aye d h e '
But w ith m i e n O f lo r d o r lad y
,
,
,
'
,
,
P er che d ab o v e my
ch a m b er d oo r
Perc h e d u po n a
b u st o f Pallas
us t a b o v e m y
'
cha m b er d o o r
Perched an d sat
an d n othin g m o re
,
'
Th en this e b o ny bi rd b e gu ili n g
'y s a d fancy i n to smili ng
,
Ra v en si tt in g lo n e ly
th at p lacid bu st sp oke o n ly
That o ne wo r d as i f his so u l i n
That o ne wo rd he d id o utp o u r
Nothin g farther then he u ttere d
Not a feather the n h e fl u tte re d
Till I s c arcely m o r e t h an m u ttered
Other fri ends h a v e flow n b e fo re
O n th e m o rrow /ze will leav e m e
As m y hop e s h ave flown b e fo r e
'
'u oth the Ra ve n N e v e rm o r e
,
,
,
'
'
'
,
,
'
,
'
Wo ndering at the stilln e ss b r o ke n
B y r e ply so aptly sp o ken
'
'o ubtl e ss said I what i t utt e rs
I s its only sto ck an d stor e
'au ght fro m so m e u nhappy m a ster
Who m u n m e rcifu l 'is a ster
Follow ed fast an d followe d fast e r
So when hop e h e wo ul d a d'
u re
St e rn d esp a i r ret u rn e d
I n st ea d O f the sweet h O p e he d ar ed a d'
u re
'
That sa d answ e r
Ne ve rmo re
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
'
,
B ut the R av en s t ill b e g u i ling
All m y sa d so u l into s m ilin g
Strai gh t I w h eeled a c u shione d s eat i n
Fro nt o f b ir d and b u st an d d o o r '
Then u po n the v el v e t sinki ng
I be to ok m ys e lf to lin k in g
Fancy u nto fancy thi nkin g
What this o m i nou s b ir d o f yo r e
What this g ri m u ngainly g h a stl y
'a u nt and o m i n o u s b ir d o f y o re
'e an t i n cro a k in g Nev er mo re
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
'
,
This I sat en gaged i n gu e ssi n g
But n o syllabl e e 'pr e ssing
To th e fowl whose fi ery ey e s n ow
B u r n e d i n to m y b oso m s c o r e '
Thi s a n d mo re I sat divi nin g
With m y h ead a t ease r e clini n g
O n the c u shio n s velvet li ning
Th a t the l a mpli g ht glo at e d o er
But who s e velv e t vi ol e t lining
With th e l a m plight glo ating o er
S k a shall p r e ss ah n e v e rmo re '
,
’
,
‘
’
’
,
,
’
,
,
,
W r etch I cri e d thy 'o d hath l en t th ee
B y t h e s e angels h e h a t h s e nt thee
R e sp ite — resp ite an d Nep enthe
Fro m thy m e m o ri e s o f L e no r e '
L e t m e Ou a ff this kin d Nep enth e
An d fo r g et this l ost L en o r e '
'
'u oth th e Rav e n N e v e r m o re
'
,
,
,
,
'
Proph e t ' s a i d I
thin g O f e vil '
'
P r oph e t still if b ird o r d e vil
B y that 'eav en that b e nd s a b ov e u s
B y that 'o d w e b oth ado re
Tell this so u l with so rrow lad e n
If withi n the distan t Ai den n
It shal l clasp a sai nte d a id en
Whom th e a ng els n a m e L en o r e
'
”
,
,
,
m
,
'l a sp a rare and radiant m a iden
Who m th e an ge ls na m e Leno re
'
'u o th th e Rav en Never m o r e
'
,
'
L eav e n o bl a c k p l um e a s a tok en
Of th a t li e th y s o ul h a th sp o k en '
L eav e m y l o n e liness u n brok e n '
'u it
th e b ust ab ov e my doo r '
T ake th y b e a k fro m o u t my h e art an d
Ta k e th y fo rm fr o m o ff my d oo r '
'
'uoth th e R av en N e v er mo re
,
,
A n d th e R av en n e v e r flitting
Still is sitti n g still i s sitti n g
O n th e p a llid b u st O f P a llas
ust ab o ve m y ch a mb e r d o o r '
'
A n d his ey es h av e all th e s ee mi n g
O f a d e mo n s that is d rea mi n g
An d th e l am plight o e r hi m st rea mi n g
Th r ows his sh a dow o n th e flo o r
'n d m y so u l fro m o ut th at sh a dow
Th a t l i e s flo a ti n g o n th e flo o r
ne v er mo r e '
Sh a ll b e lift e d
,
,
,
’
’
,
’
,
'