The Raven<\/p>\n
Once upon a midnight dreary, while\u00a0I pondered weak and weary,<\/p>\n
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore–<\/p>\n
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,<\/p>\n
As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.<\/p>\n
“Tis some visitor,” I muttered, “tapping at my chamber door–<\/p>\n
Only this and nothing more.”<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Ah, distinctly\u00a0I remember it was in the bleak December;<\/p>\n
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.<\/p>\n
Eagerly I wished the morrow;–vainly I had sought to borrow<\/p>\n
From my books surcease of sorrow–sorrow for the lost Lenore–<\/p>\n
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore–<\/p>\n
Nameless here <\/em>\u00a0for evermore.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n And the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain<\/p>\n Thrilled me–filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;<\/p>\n So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating<\/p>\n “Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door–<\/p>\n This it is and nothing more.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,<\/p>\n “Sir,” said I,” or madam truly your forgiveness I implore;<\/p>\n But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping,<\/p>\n And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door,<\/p>\n That I scarce was sure I heard you”–here I opened wide the door;–<\/p>\n Darkness there and nothing more.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,<\/p>\n Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before;<\/p>\n But the silence was unbroken, and the stillness gave no token,<\/p>\n And the only word there spoken was the whispered word Lenore?”<\/p>\n This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, “Lenore!”–<\/p>\n Merely this and nothing more.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning,<\/p>\n Soon again I heard a tapping somewhat louder than before.<\/p>\n “Surely,” said I, “surely that is something at my window lattice;<\/p>\n Let me see then, what thereat is, and this mystery explore–<\/p>\n Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore;–<\/p>\n “Tis the wind and nothing more!”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter,<\/p>\n In there stepped a stately Raven of the saintly days of yore;<\/p>\n Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he;<\/p>\n But with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door–<\/p>\n Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door–<\/p>\n Perched, and sat, and nothing more.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,<\/p>\n By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore,<\/p>\n “Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou,” I said, “art sure no craven,<\/p>\n Ghastly grim and ancient Raven wandering from the Nightly shore–<\/p>\n Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night’s Plutonian shore!”<\/p>\n Quoth the raven “Never more.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Much I marveled this ungainly fowl to hear discourse so plainly,<\/p>\n Though its answer little meaning–little relevancy bore;<\/p>\n For we cannot help agreeing that no living human being<\/p>\n Ever yet was blessed with seeing bird above his chamber door–<\/p>\n Bird or beast upon the sculptured bust above his chamber door.<\/p>\n With such name as “Nevermore.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n But the Raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only<\/p>\n That one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour.<\/p>\n Nothing farther then he uttered–not a feather then he fluttered–<\/p>\n Till I scarcely more than muttered “Other friends have flown before–<\/p>\n On the morrow he<\/em> will leave me, as my Hopes have flown before.”<\/p>\n Then the bird said “Nevermore.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Startled by the stillness broken by reply so aptly spoken,<\/p>\n “Doubtless,” said I, “what it utters is its only stock and store<\/p>\n Caught from some unhappy master whom unmerciful Disaster<\/p>\n Followed fast and followed faster till his songs one burden bore–<\/p>\n Till the dirges of his Hope that melancholy burden bore<\/p>\n Of ‘Never–nevermore’.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n But the Raven still beguiling all my fancy into smiling,<\/p>\n Straight I wheeled a cushioned seat in front of bird, and bust and door,<\/p>\n Then, upon the velvet sinking, I betook myself to linking<\/p>\n fancy unto fancy, thinking what this ominous bird of yore–<\/p>\n What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and ominous bird of yore<\/p>\n Meant in croaking “Nevermore.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This I sat engaged in guessing, but no syllable expressing<\/p>\n To the fowl whose fiery eyes now burned into my bosom’s core;<\/p>\n This and more I sat divining, with my head at ease reclining<\/p>\n On the cushion’s velvet lining that the lamp-light gloated o’er,<\/p>\n But whose velvet-violet lining with the lamp-light gloating o’er,<\/p>\n She<\/em> shall press, ah, nevermore!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Then, methought, the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censer<\/p>\n Swung by Seraphim whose foot-falls tinkled on the tufted floor.<\/p>\n “Wretch,” I cried, “thy God hath lent thee–by these angels he hath sent thee<\/p>\n Respite–respite and nepenthe from thy memories of Lenore;<\/p>\n Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe and forget this lost Lenore!<\/p>\n Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n “Prophet!” said I, “thing of evil–prophet still, if bird or devil!–<\/p>\n Whether Tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore,<\/p>\n Desolate yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted–<\/p>\n On this home by Horror haunted–tell me truly, I implore–<\/p>\n Is there balm in Gilead?–tell me–tell me, I implore!”<\/p>\n Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n “Prophet!” said I, “thing of evil!–prophet still if bird or devil!<\/p>\n By that Heaven that bends above us–by that God we both adore–<\/p>\n Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn,<\/p>\n It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore–<\/p>\n Clasp a rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore,”<\/p>\n Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n “Be that word our sign of parting, bird or fiend!” I shrieked, upstarting–<\/p>\n “Get thee back into the tempest and the Night’s Plutonian shore!<\/p>\n Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul has spoken!<\/p>\n Leave my loneliness unbroken!–quit the bust above my door!<\/p>\n Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!”<\/p>\n Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n And the Raven never flitting, still is sitting, still<\/em>\u00a0 is sitting<\/p>\n On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;<\/p>\n And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon’s that is dreaming,<\/p>\n And the lamp-light o’er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor,<\/p>\n And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor,<\/p>\n Shall be lifted–nevermore!\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Edgar Allan Poe.<\/p>\n The above is for those who are perhaps unacquainted with Poe,<\/p>\n and for those of us who “once upon a midnight dreary , while we<\/p>\n pondered weak and weary” over the Internet, ha,ha!<\/p>\n Islander.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Raven Once upon a midnight dreary, while\u00a0I 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 someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door. “Tis some visitor,” I muttered, “tapping at my chamber door– Only this and … Continue reading “Poe”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1368","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewalrussaid.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1368","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewalrussaid.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewalrussaid.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewalrussaid.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewalrussaid.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1368"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/thewalrussaid.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1368\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1371,"href":"https:\/\/thewalrussaid.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1368\/revisions\/1371"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewalrussaid.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1368"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewalrussaid.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1368"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewalrussaid.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1368"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}