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 this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,

By the grave and stern decorum2 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!"

3

Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore."

Much I marveled 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

1 Pallas, the Greek goddess of wisdom.

2 Decorum, propriety, good manners.

3 Plutonian shore, shore of Pluto, the Roman god of the underworld. 4 Relevancy, fitness.

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1

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."

55 But the Raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only

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That one word, as if his soul in that one word he did

outpour,

Nothing further 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."

Startled at the stillness broken by reply so aptly spoken,

"Doubtless," said I, "what it utters is its only stock and store,

Caught from some unhappy master whom unmerciful Disaster

Followed fast and followed faster till his songs one burden bore

65 Till the dirges of his Hope that melancholy burden bore

But the Raven still beguiling all my fancy into

smiling,

Straight I wheeled a cushioned seat in front of bird, and bust and door;

Then, upon the velvet sinking, I betook myself to linking

Fancy unto fancy, thinking what this ominous bird

of yore

What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and ominous bird of yore

Meant in croaking, "Nevermore."

Thus I sat engaged in guessing, but no syllable expressing

To the fowl whose fiery eyes now burned into my bosom's core;

This and more I sat divining, with my head at ease

reclining

On the cushion's velvet lining that the lamplight gloated o'er,

But whose velvet violet lining with the lamplight gloating o'er

She shall press, ah, nevermore !

Then methought the air grew denser, perfumed from

an unseen censer

Swung by seraphim' whose footfalls tinkled on the tufted floor.

1 Seraphim, angels of high rank, the plural of seraph.

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"Wretch," I cried, "thy God hath lent thee-by these angels he hath sent thee

Respite1-respite and nepenthe2 from thy memories of Lenore!

Quaff, oh, quaff this kind nepenthe and forget this lost Lenore!"

Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore."

85 "Prophet!" said I, "thing of evil! prophet still, if bird or devil!

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Whether Tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore,

Desolate yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted

On this home by Horror haunted tell me truly, I implore

Is there is there balm3 in Gilead? 4— tell me tell me, I implore!"

Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore."

"Prophet!" said I, "thing of evil!-prophet still,

if bird or devil!

By that Heaven that bends above us

we both adore

1 Respite, relief.

by that God

2 Nepenthe (ne-pén-thē), a drug used by the ancient Egyptians to give relief from pain or sorrow.

3 Balm, balsam, a healing and soothing medicine.

4 Gilead, a town in Judea. The phrase "balm in Gilead" is used in the Bible for relief from sin and suffering.

Tell this soul with sorrow laden, if, within the dis

tant Aidenn,1

It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore

Clasp a rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore."

Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore!"

"Be that word our sign of parting, bird or fiend!” I shrieked, upstarting

"Get thee back into the tempest and the Night's Plutonian shore!

Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul

hath spoken!

Leave my loneliness unbroken!

my door!

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quit the bust above

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Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!"

Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore!"

And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting

On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber

door;

And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's 2 that

is dreaming,

1 Aidenn, a fanciful spelling for Eden, the "garden" of Genesis, the home of Adam and Eve, a word used in general for paradise, or abode of happiness,

2 Demon, fiend, devil,

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