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The Complete Poetry of Edgar Allan Poe
"With me poetry has been not a purpose, but a passion."-Edgar Allan Poe. Containing such famous works as "The Raven", "Lenore", "Annabel Lee", and "To Helen", this complete collection of poetry by Edgar Allan Poe encapsulates the career of one of the best-known and most read American writers. Laden with tones of loneliness, melancholy, and despair, the poetry contained in this volume exerted great influence on the American Romantic and the French Symbolist Movements of the nineteenth century. Today, Poe's poetry is appreciated for its literary genius, not only because of his command of language, rhythms and dramatic imagery, but also because of its emotional insight into a beautiful and tormented mind. His propensity towards the mysterious and the macabre, as well as an ardent preoccupation with death, has led centuries of scholars and readers to enjoy these poems of love, death, and loneliness. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper.
90 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1831
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About the author
Edgar Allan Poe
9,870 books28.6k followersThe name Poe brings to mind images of murderers and madmen, premature burials, and mysterious women who return from the dead. His works have been in print since 1827 and include such literary classics as The Tell-Tale Heart, The Raven, and The Fall of the House of Usher. This versatile writer’s oeuvre includes short stories, poetry, a novel, a textbook, a book of scientific theory, and hundreds of essays and book reviews. He is widely acknowledged as the inventor of the modern detective story and an innovator in the science fiction genre, but he made his living as America’s first great literary critic and theoretician. Poe’s reputation today rests primarily on his tales of terror as well as on his haunting lyric poetry.
Just as the bizarre characters in Poe’s stories have captured the public imagination so too has Poe himself. He is seen as a morbid, mysterious figure lurking in the shadows of moonlit cemeteries or crumbling castles. This is the Poe of legend. But much of what we know about Poe is wrong, the product of a biography written by one of his enemies in an attempt to defame the author’s name.
The real Poe was born to traveling actors in Boston on January 19, 1809. Edgar was the second of three children. His other brother William Henry Leonard Poe would also become a poet before his early death, and Poe’s sister Rosalie Poe would grow up to teach penmanship at a Richmond girls’ school. Within three years of Poe’s birth both of his parents had died, and he was taken in by the wealthy tobacco merchant John Allan and his wife Frances Valentine Allan in Richmond, Virginia while Poe’s siblings went to live with other families. Mr. Allan would rear Poe to be a businessman and a Virginia gentleman, but Poe had dreams of being a writer in emulation of his childhood hero the British poet Lord Byron. Early poetic verses found written in a young Poe’s handwriting on the backs of Allan’s ledger sheets reveal how little interest Poe had in the tobacco business.
For more information, please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_al...
Just as the bizarre characters in Poe’s stories have captured the public imagination so too has Poe himself. He is seen as a morbid, mysterious figure lurking in the shadows of moonlit cemeteries or crumbling castles. This is the Poe of legend. But much of what we know about Poe is wrong, the product of a biography written by one of his enemies in an attempt to defame the author’s name.
The real Poe was born to traveling actors in Boston on January 19, 1809. Edgar was the second of three children. His other brother William Henry Leonard Poe would also become a poet before his early death, and Poe’s sister Rosalie Poe would grow up to teach penmanship at a Richmond girls’ school. Within three years of Poe’s birth both of his parents had died, and he was taken in by the wealthy tobacco merchant John Allan and his wife Frances Valentine Allan in Richmond, Virginia while Poe’s siblings went to live with other families. Mr. Allan would rear Poe to be a businessman and a Virginia gentleman, but Poe had dreams of being a writer in emulation of his childhood hero the British poet Lord Byron. Early poetic verses found written in a young Poe’s handwriting on the backs of Allan’s ledger sheets reveal how little interest Poe had in the tobacco business.
For more information, please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_al...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 786 reviews
May 4, 2019
I'm a way too big of a fan of Edgar Allan Poe to rate it differently.
Out—out are the lights—out all!
And, over each quivering form,
The curtain, a funeral pall,
Comes down with the rush of a storm,
While the angels, all pallid and wan,
Uprising, unveiling, affirm
That the play is the tragedy, “Man,”
And its hero, the Conqueror Worm.
But even I have to say that there are some of his poem that I do not particularly like, such as Al Aaraaf and The Bells.
However, my all-time favourite remains unchanged. You cannot do better than The Raven.
“Prophet!” said I, “thing of evil!—prophet still, if bird or devil!—
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
Shall be lifted—nevermore!
Out—out are the lights—out all!
And, over each quivering form,
The curtain, a funeral pall,
Comes down with the rush of a storm,
While the angels, all pallid and wan,
Uprising, unveiling, affirm
That the play is the tragedy, “Man,”
And its hero, the Conqueror Worm.
But even I have to say that there are some of his poem that I do not particularly like, such as Al Aaraaf and The Bells.
However, my all-time favourite remains unchanged. You cannot do better than The Raven.
“Prophet!” said I, “thing of evil!—prophet still, if bird or devil!—
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
Shall be lifted—nevermore!
November 1, 2019
Let's face it. . . the only thing Edgar Allan Poe ever did that was scary was marry his 14-year-old cousin.
But, beyond that, Mr. Poe wasn't scary. . .
He was sad.
And, yes, he was an “I see dead people” person, but not because he was obsessed with the occult. He kept seeing actual dead people around him because everyone around him kept dropping dead.
Not surprisingly, his poetry is filled with a near obsession with death and talking to the dead, but, again, everyone around him. . . was dead.
But, but, but. . . even though it's Halloween night and you might think I'd like to get all sinister here, and discuss these dark matters. . .
This re-read, thirty years after my original exposure to this collection, could not have been less about death. It was about love. The unlikely celebration of love here and the DIVINE FEMININE ENERGY that Mr. Poe promotes on every page.
And, oh, baby, did Mr. Poe like the ladies!
Some examples of what's feminine in Poe's poems:
Beauty
the Moon
all celestial bodies
the Evening Star
cities
Night
Some examples of what's masculine in Poe's poems:
Ambition
Love (this explains so much!)
Death
In addition, his poetry pays homage to:
Mary
Psyche
Helen
Diana
Athena
And dryads, and nymphs, and naiads, oh my!
But, the best poems for me were the ones written in dedication to his wife and his mother-in-law. Yes, they were also known as his “cousin” and “aunt,” but after reading two poems in particular, “Annabel Lee” and “To My Mother,” you can't help but find yourself in awe of his capacity to love.
And, for any of us who have ever made a misstep in love, and suffered regret, I leave you with two of the best lines in this collection:
years of love have been forgot
In the hatred of a minute-
What an unexpected celebration of love I found here.
Love. . . amidst the cobwebs, the candy bar wrappers and the corpses.
But, beyond that, Mr. Poe wasn't scary. . .
He was sad.
And, yes, he was an “I see dead people” person, but not because he was obsessed with the occult. He kept seeing actual dead people around him because everyone around him kept dropping dead.
Not surprisingly, his poetry is filled with a near obsession with death and talking to the dead, but, again, everyone around him. . . was dead.
But, but, but. . . even though it's Halloween night and you might think I'd like to get all sinister here, and discuss these dark matters. . .
This re-read, thirty years after my original exposure to this collection, could not have been less about death. It was about love. The unlikely celebration of love here and the DIVINE FEMININE ENERGY that Mr. Poe promotes on every page.
And, oh, baby, did Mr. Poe like the ladies!
Some examples of what's feminine in Poe's poems:
Beauty
the Moon
all celestial bodies
the Evening Star
cities
Night
Some examples of what's masculine in Poe's poems:
Ambition
Love (this explains so much!)
Death
In addition, his poetry pays homage to:
Mary
Psyche
Helen
Diana
Athena
And dryads, and nymphs, and naiads, oh my!
But, the best poems for me were the ones written in dedication to his wife and his mother-in-law. Yes, they were also known as his “cousin” and “aunt,” but after reading two poems in particular, “Annabel Lee” and “To My Mother,” you can't help but find yourself in awe of his capacity to love.
And, for any of us who have ever made a misstep in love, and suffered regret, I leave you with two of the best lines in this collection:
years of love have been forgot
In the hatred of a minute-
What an unexpected celebration of love I found here.
Love. . . amidst the cobwebs, the candy bar wrappers and the corpses.
March 26, 2018
"All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream."
The Complete Poetry of Edgar Allan Poe will give you a fascinating glimpse into his tragic life. The majority of his poems are interpreted autobiographically: his achievements, his beloved wives, his losses, and ultimately, his unbecoming.
Reviewing a fictional collection of poems that were inspired by Mr. Poe's life was a bit of a daunting task--seriously, how does one successfully go about reviewing the deepest and darkest moments of someone else's real life? I am sure it is agreeable to say that poetry is extremely subjective, especially when one is writing about the death of not only one wife but two.
Personally, I admire Mr. Poe's work. All of it. Even the poems that I struggled to fully comprehend. You will find it difficult to read Mr. Poe's work aloud and not weep along with him. His writing is hauntingly stunning and mentally stimulating. These poems were able to provoke such a deep and profound emotion out of me whether I could relate to them or not.
My Top 3 Edgar Allan Poe Poems:
1. Annabel Lee
2. A Dream Within a Dream
3. The Raven
Read
January 8, 2023I would say it is the most beautiful love poem, but maybe it's just one of them..
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 a 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 kinsmen came
And bore her away from me
To shut her up in a sepulchre
In this kingdom by the sea.
*
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.
*
And so, all the night-tide I lay down by the side
Of my darling, my darling, my life and my bride,
In her sepulchre there by the see
In her tomb by the side of the sea. "
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 a 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 kinsmen came
And bore her away from me
To shut her up in a sepulchre
In this kingdom by the sea.
*
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.
*
And so, all the night-tide I lay down by the side
Of my darling, my darling, my life and my bride,
In her sepulchre there by the see
In her tomb by the side of the sea. "
August 28, 2025
Yo ya me esperaba que fuera melancólico. Pero los tintes tan románticos fueron una sorpresa bastante agradable. Me parece que Poe observaba la vida con más optimismo del que yo le creía. Y es que a veces me olvido que los melancólicos somos los más sensibles y por ende, los más susceptibles al amor.
“Desde de mi niñez, no he sido
como el resto, no he visto
lo que los demás veían, no pude extraer
mis pasiones del mismo manantial.
Ni de la misma fuente obtuve
mi pena; no pude despertar
mi corazón a la alegría en igual tono;
y todo lo que amé, lo amé solo.”
“Desde de mi niñez, no he sido
como el resto, no he visto
lo que los demás veían, no pude extraer
mis pasiones del mismo manantial.
Ni de la misma fuente obtuve
mi pena; no pude despertar
mi corazón a la alegría en igual tono;
y todo lo que amé, lo amé solo.”
November 15, 2023
I am trying to broaden my horizons and learn to enjoy poetry. I started with Mr. Poe because he's so well known and he did not disappoint. I enjoyed most of the poems, even if I did miss the deeper meanings of them.
September 9, 2021
Never would I ever have thought that a poetry book could have such a profound effect on me. Poe is a tortured romantic soul. His poems ooze death, loose, love and greaf. It's true that I didn't fully understand what I was reading but I came to realise that it's all about the emotions that these poems have on you, rather than the plot itself. I would highly recommend this to both horror fan and people trying to get into poetry, or want to read something abit different.
October 21, 2023
“And all I loved, I loved alone.” (p. 201)
Gloomy and musical. Indeed, in one of the essays contained herein, Poe defined poetry as the combination of an idea with music; his ideas, however, tended to be very sad and/or creepy ones. Personally, my favorite poem was “A Dream Within a Dream.”
"Is all that we see or seem || But a dream within a dream?” (p. 17)
However, many of the other poems are equally memorable and some, obviously, are more famous (e.g., “The Raven,” “The Bells,” and “Annabel Lee”). Below, are excerpts from a few poems and some of the illustrations in this edition.
“’Tis not that the flowers of twenty springs || Which have wither’d as they rose || Lie dead on my heart-strings || With the weight of an age of snows.” (p. 29)
“The sickness—the nausea— || The pitiless pain— || Have ceased, with the fever || That maddened my brain— || With the fever called “Living” || That burned in my brain. (p. 187)
“By a route obscure and lonely, || Haunted by ill angels only…” (p. 136)
“‘Prophet!’ said I, ‘thing of evil!—prophet still, if bird or devil!— || 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— … Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door! || Quoth, the Raven, ‘Nevermore.’” (p. 105)
Gloomy and musical. Indeed, in one of the essays contained herein, Poe defined poetry as the combination of an idea with music; his ideas, however, tended to be very sad and/or creepy ones. Personally, my favorite poem was “A Dream Within a Dream.”
"Is all that we see or seem || But a dream within a dream?” (p. 17)
However, many of the other poems are equally memorable and some, obviously, are more famous (e.g., “The Raven,” “The Bells,” and “Annabel Lee”). Below, are excerpts from a few poems and some of the illustrations in this edition.
“’Tis not that the flowers of twenty springs || Which have wither’d as they rose || Lie dead on my heart-strings || With the weight of an age of snows.” (p. 29)
“The sickness—the nausea— || The pitiless pain— || Have ceased, with the fever || That maddened my brain— || With the fever called “Living” || That burned in my brain. (p. 187)
“By a route obscure and lonely, || Haunted by ill angels only…” (p. 136)
“‘Prophet!’ said I, ‘thing of evil!—prophet still, if bird or devil!— || 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— … Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door! || Quoth, the Raven, ‘Nevermore.’” (p. 105)
December 22, 2017
"Em visões do breu nocturno e incerto
Sonhei com o prazer de outrora...
Mas um sonho desperto, pela aurora,
Deixou-me o coração deserto.
Que faz senão sonhar sempre acordado
Aquele que olha de soslaio
As coisas em redor, e com um raio
Apontado para o passado?
Aquele sonho santo... visionário,
Enquanto o mundo escarnecia,
Me acalentou, tal chama que irradia
Guiando uma alma solitária.
E embora aquela luz, na tempestade
E breu, tremesse lá distante...
Que mais podia haver de tão brilhante
No astro claro da Verdade?"
____________________
"Embora eu gire, não posso voar...
Não consigo partir.
Quero tentar, mas não ouso deixar
Meu coração fugir.
E sofrem meus anseios tal quebranto...
E a arte, em sonhos presa, entretanto,
Me enleva em seu encanto.
Assim, a cobra que reluz
Oculta sob a árvore da floresta
Encanta a ave e a seduz
A descer e espreitar pela giesta:
Como essa ave, o amante
Em torno do seu fado há-de pairar
Até findar o mágico instante
E — como eu — tombar."
____________________
The Raven
(Gustave Dore - Perched Upon A Bust Of Pallas)
Annabel Lee
(James McNeill Whistler - Annabel Lee)
Sonhei com o prazer de outrora...
Mas um sonho desperto, pela aurora,
Deixou-me o coração deserto.
Que faz senão sonhar sempre acordado
Aquele que olha de soslaio
As coisas em redor, e com um raio
Apontado para o passado?
Aquele sonho santo... visionário,
Enquanto o mundo escarnecia,
Me acalentou, tal chama que irradia
Guiando uma alma solitária.
E embora aquela luz, na tempestade
E breu, tremesse lá distante...
Que mais podia haver de tão brilhante
No astro claro da Verdade?"
____________________
"Embora eu gire, não posso voar...
Não consigo partir.
Quero tentar, mas não ouso deixar
Meu coração fugir.
E sofrem meus anseios tal quebranto...
E a arte, em sonhos presa, entretanto,
Me enleva em seu encanto.
Assim, a cobra que reluz
Oculta sob a árvore da floresta
Encanta a ave e a seduz
A descer e espreitar pela giesta:
Como essa ave, o amante
Em torno do seu fado há-de pairar
Até findar o mágico instante
E — como eu — tombar."
____________________
The Raven
(Gustave Dore - Perched Upon A Bust Of Pallas)
Annabel Lee
(James McNeill Whistler - Annabel Lee)
March 10, 2019
Edgar Allan Poe's poetry read in completion paints a humanizing portrait of the man and adds depth to his character. I think it's easy to think of Edgar Allan Poe as a haunted man who was driven to the macabre and gothic by tragedy and isolation. While that side of him was present, his poetry revealed a man inspired by spirituality, beauty, and love. Much of his poetry was heartbreaking, such as these lines in Alone:
From childhood's hour I have not been
As others were; I have not seen
As others saw; I could not bring
My passions from a common spring.
...
And all I loved, I loved alone
Oh, that last line. Absolutely heart-wrenching.
What I didn't realize about Poe was just how taken he was with all things regarding beauty and spirituality. Reading a couple of poems loosely inspired by Islam and the Quran was a surprise.
My favorite poem was Al Aaraaf - it was inspired not only by Islam, but also a supernova that was discovered in 1572 by Tycho Brahe and was visible for several months. In a letter to his publisher, Isaac Lea, Poe wrote:
Al Aaraaf is a long poem, and very different. It almost comes across as science-fiction. I'm hesitant to use the word psychedelic or trippy, but strange spirits, stars, and moving planets are all apart of this poem. Spirituality is infused in nature.
I won't pretend to understand all of it. I was moved though by the two lovers who seemed to be stuck in the medium Poe described as, "between Heaven & Hell where men suffer no punishment, but yet do not attain that tranquil & even happiness which they suppose to be the characteristic of heavenly enjoyment."
Favorite Poems:
A Dream
Dreams
Spirits of the Dead
Israfel
The City in the Sea
Serenade
From childhood's hour I have not been
As others were; I have not seen
As others saw; I could not bring
My passions from a common spring.
...
And all I loved, I loved alone
Oh, that last line. Absolutely heart-wrenching.
What I didn't realize about Poe was just how taken he was with all things regarding beauty and spirituality. Reading a couple of poems loosely inspired by Islam and the Quran was a surprise.
My favorite poem was Al Aaraaf - it was inspired not only by Islam, but also a supernova that was discovered in 1572 by Tycho Brahe and was visible for several months. In a letter to his publisher, Isaac Lea, Poe wrote:
Its title is “Al Aaraaf” — from the Al Aaraaf of the Arabians, a medium between Heaven & Hell where men suffer no punishment, but yet do not attain that tranquil & even happiness which they suppose to be the characteristic of heavenly enjoyment ...
I have placed this “Al Aaraaf” in the celebrated star discovered by Tycho Brahe which appeared & disappeared so suddenly — It is represented as a messenger star of the Deity, &, at the time of its discovery by Tycho, as on an embassy to our world. One of the peculiarities of Al Aaraaf is that, even after death, those who make choice of the star as their residence do not enjoy immortality — but, after a second life of high excitement, sink into forgetfulness, & death...
Al Aaraaf is a long poem, and very different. It almost comes across as science-fiction. I'm hesitant to use the word psychedelic or trippy, but strange spirits, stars, and moving planets are all apart of this poem. Spirituality is infused in nature.
I won't pretend to understand all of it. I was moved though by the two lovers who seemed to be stuck in the medium Poe described as, "between Heaven & Hell where men suffer no punishment, but yet do not attain that tranquil & even happiness which they suppose to be the characteristic of heavenly enjoyment."
To his love-haunted heart and melancholy.
The night had found (to him and night of woe)
Upon a mountain crag, young-Angelo--
Beetling it bends athwart the solemn sky,
And scowls on starry worlds that down beneath it lie.
Here sat he with his love--his dark eye bent
With eagle gaze along the firmament:
Now turn'd it upon her--but ever then
It trembled to the orb of EARTH again.
...
Thus, in discourse, the lovers whiled away
The night that waned and waned and brought no day.
They fell: for Heaven to them no hope imparts
Who hear not for the beating of their hearts.
Favorite Poems:
A Dream
Dreams
Spirits of the Dead
Israfel
The City in the Sea
Serenade
October 8, 2020
When I was younger I was under the impression Poe was just a sort of madman writer who seemed fixated on creepy imagery, death, shadows, fear, etc. either because he was some mad genius, had a mental disorder, or was unduly affected by his fondness for alcohol. In reading his poems one gets a less distorted and shallow sense of the man: he was, essentially, lonely. He craved companionship and love like most humans. However, it appears he felt that Fate, God, and the Universe were unspeakably cruel to have taken his young bride(barely 14 when he married her and a cousin t'boot!) away from him so early on; this seems to have triggered a grieving and sorrow in him he did not know how to dispel other than with the numbing effects of copious booze. He does not seem to have drowned himself in drink in order to create and write, but to self-medicate a deep pain: Poe was a very romantic man. His weakness for beauty and his romantic heart were what haunted his soul. He was very intimate with darkness, the moon, the blackness of his personal sense of loss, and a profound, tormenting grief. This theme of love sadly lost is woven throughout a good many of the poems in this collection. Even his best known poems such as The Raven are suffused with his sorrow and sense of his own life as accursed. His very portrait on the front of this collection is very telling if one but covers his forehead and chin and looks at his eyes. A few of the poems are more upbeat and hopeful, but even in these he seems to be celebrating a joy that was much too ephemeral to allow him much genuine solace.
His poetry is rarely obscure and difficult to read, unlike that of some poets who just leave me shaking my head in bewilderment as to the meaning. As a whole, this book is one very clear, soul-rattling shriek back at life, the life of a very talented man unable to wrestle himself from his aching sorrow. I recommend you read this if you think he was just a dark, trippy writer of stories about a pit and pendulum, a tell tale heart, a black cat; in his poetry he reveals the sad, all too human man he was beyond the dark tales and creepy shadows his pen took us to. He consoled himself with that most human of visions: that his lost loved one was in paradise, a paradise he was unable to even approach in his all too short life.
His poetry is rarely obscure and difficult to read, unlike that of some poets who just leave me shaking my head in bewilderment as to the meaning. As a whole, this book is one very clear, soul-rattling shriek back at life, the life of a very talented man unable to wrestle himself from his aching sorrow. I recommend you read this if you think he was just a dark, trippy writer of stories about a pit and pendulum, a tell tale heart, a black cat; in his poetry he reveals the sad, all too human man he was beyond the dark tales and creepy shadows his pen took us to. He consoled himself with that most human of visions: that his lost loved one was in paradise, a paradise he was unable to even approach in his all too short life.
December 15, 2019
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“Where the good and the bad and the worst and the best have gone to their eternal rest.”
★ This review is going to be very short as I don’t have much to say and as the book is short. You have to take this review with a grain of sale as honestly it is a case of me, not the book. I grabbed this because it was on a sale and I read a book or 2 of poetry every year. It looks like classics and this old writing is just nor for me.
★ The main problem is that I honestly did not know what I was reading. The ones I understood I did enjoy like “Annabel Lee” and “The Raven” and some of them I was just reading to finish them. That’s why this is a very subjective review and you still can enjoy it.
★ Summary: The book has a collection of many Poems, some of which I understood and enjoyed and some were too complex for me, still worth giving a chance for fans of Poetry!
You can get more books from Book Depository
“Where the good and the bad and the worst and the best have gone to their eternal rest.”
★ This review is going to be very short as I don’t have much to say and as the book is short. You have to take this review with a grain of sale as honestly it is a case of me, not the book. I grabbed this because it was on a sale and I read a book or 2 of poetry every year. It looks like classics and this old writing is just nor for me.
★ The main problem is that I honestly did not know what I was reading. The ones I understood I did enjoy like “Annabel Lee” and “The Raven” and some of them I was just reading to finish them. That’s why this is a very subjective review and you still can enjoy it.
★ Summary: The book has a collection of many Poems, some of which I understood and enjoyed and some were too complex for me, still worth giving a chance for fans of Poetry!
You can get more books from Book Depository
April 12, 2021
My favorite poem of Poe has changed over the years.
At first it was the obligatory "Raven", then the lyrical and tragic "Annabel Lee". Later I was fascinated by "The Bells" and their gradual descent into darkness. Finally, it is "Ulalume" - supremely musical and atmospheric. Here I suggest a reading of it by Jeff Buckley set to an appropriately chosen film.
At first it was the obligatory "Raven", then the lyrical and tragic "Annabel Lee". Later I was fascinated by "The Bells" and their gradual descent into darkness. Finally, it is "Ulalume" - supremely musical and atmospheric. Here I suggest a reading of it by Jeff Buckley set to an appropriately chosen film.
September 5, 2023
3.5
favourite poems:
• To My Mother
• Alone
• A Dream Within a Dream
• The Raven
favourite poems:
• To My Mother
• Alone
• A Dream Within a Dream
• The Raven
October 24, 2020
“From childhood’s hour I have not been
As others were, I have not seen
As others saw, I could not bring
My passions from a common spring.”
Ortaokulda okumuştum ilk kez “Yalnız” şiirini Poe’nun ve hayran olmuştum. Kendi melankolimin dışavurumu gibiydi şiirleri. Lisede hikayeleriyle ve bir diğer meşhur şiiri “Kuzgun” Nevermore ile tanıştım. Üniversitede tekrar döndüğümde bu kez ruhunun daha karanlık yerlerine uzanan şiirleri okudum; “The Conqueror Worm”, aslında Poe’nun “ölüm” kavramıyla dansıydı sanki. Bu kadar ciddi bir gerçekliği cansız bedenimizi kemiren kurtçuklar üzerinden yazmak… İşte bunu başka bir şair yapamaz.
Poe’nun erken dönem şiirlerini de içeren ve kronolojik bir düzende çift dilli olarak hazırlanmış bu şiir kitabı beni geçmişe götürüp getirdi adeta. Her okuduğumda farklı şeyler buluyorum ancak değişmeyen bazı gerçekler var: Poe’ya özgü kasvetli atmosfer, karanlık temalar, ölüm karmaşası: “İşte, Ölüm bir taht yükseltmiş kendisine, Yapayalnız uzanan tuhaf bir kentte…” ; aşk acısı ve kayıplar, gece-ölüler-ruhlar ve rüyalar:
“Ses çıkarma o ıssızlıkta
Bir yalnızlık değil bu-
Çünkü, yaşamda önün sıra
Duran ölülerin ruhları
Ölümde de yine çevreni alır - ve onların
İstekleri gölgeler seni - ses çıkarma.”
Tekrar tekrar okunacak ve her okumada farklı bir şey bulunacak zamansız bir eser. Özellikle sonbahar için tavsiye edilir.
As others were, I have not seen
As others saw, I could not bring
My passions from a common spring.”
Ortaokulda okumuştum ilk kez “Yalnız” şiirini Poe’nun ve hayran olmuştum. Kendi melankolimin dışavurumu gibiydi şiirleri. Lisede hikayeleriyle ve bir diğer meşhur şiiri “Kuzgun” Nevermore ile tanıştım. Üniversitede tekrar döndüğümde bu kez ruhunun daha karanlık yerlerine uzanan şiirleri okudum; “The Conqueror Worm”, aslında Poe’nun “ölüm” kavramıyla dansıydı sanki. Bu kadar ciddi bir gerçekliği cansız bedenimizi kemiren kurtçuklar üzerinden yazmak… İşte bunu başka bir şair yapamaz.
Poe’nun erken dönem şiirlerini de içeren ve kronolojik bir düzende çift dilli olarak hazırlanmış bu şiir kitabı beni geçmişe götürüp getirdi adeta. Her okuduğumda farklı şeyler buluyorum ancak değişmeyen bazı gerçekler var: Poe’ya özgü kasvetli atmosfer, karanlık temalar, ölüm karmaşası: “İşte, Ölüm bir taht yükseltmiş kendisine, Yapayalnız uzanan tuhaf bir kentte…” ; aşk acısı ve kayıplar, gece-ölüler-ruhlar ve rüyalar:
“Ses çıkarma o ıssızlıkta
Bir yalnızlık değil bu-
Çünkü, yaşamda önün sıra
Duran ölülerin ruhları
Ölümde de yine çevreni alır - ve onların
İstekleri gölgeler seni - ses çıkarma.”
Tekrar tekrar okunacak ve her okumada farklı bir şey bulunacak zamansız bir eser. Özellikle sonbahar için tavsiye edilir.
November 1, 2016
3.5 out of 5 stars
Let me just say that I adore Poe and his work. I find his stories and poems fascinating. I did not enjoy some of these poems though. The ones I loved I really did adore. This edition includes all 48 of his poems!!
Fav's:
Least Favorites
“I saw no heaven — but in her eyes.”
Let me just say that I adore Poe and his work. I find his stories and poems fascinating. I did not enjoy some of these poems though. The ones I loved I really did adore. This edition includes all 48 of his poems!!
Fav's:
The Happiest Day, the Happiest Hour.
To Lake:
Alone
The City in the Sea
The One in Paradise
Bridal Ballad
The Raven
Annabel Lee
For Annie
Least Favorites
Song
A Dream
Sonnet- To Science
Al Aaraaf
To Helen
Sonnet-Silence
May 20, 2019
Aproveché que una amiga me lo presto para leerlo ahora que le di la oportunidad a los cuentos completos de Edgar y la verdad es que este hombre no para de sorprenderme.
Fue un placer poder leer sus poesías completas de una vez por todas.
Algún día espero poder tener un tomo propio con todas sus poesías.
Como era de esperarse algunos poemas me han gustado más que otros. No es lo mismo poder leerlos en su idioma original que traducidos pero ya les daré una oportunidad.
A pesar de que no me gusta mucho la poesía ni el romance creo que Poe si me ha agradado más de lo que pensaba.
Fue un placer poder leer sus poesías completas de una vez por todas.
Algún día espero poder tener un tomo propio con todas sus poesías.
Como era de esperarse algunos poemas me han gustado más que otros. No es lo mismo poder leerlos en su idioma original que traducidos pero ya les daré una oportunidad.
A pesar de que no me gusta mucho la poesía ni el romance creo que Poe si me ha agradado más de lo que pensaba.
December 18, 2022
Our talk had been serious and sober,
But our thoughts they were palsied and sere -
For we knew not the month was October,
And we marked not the night of the year -
(Ah, night of all nights in the year!)
It is probably not an opportune time to broach this collection. Despair is wont to rap at the door and sunlight is so elusive. There is a polar cold headed this way and I worry about my resolve. It is likely to be found wanting.
The better elements of this were internalized years ago through anthologies and the sputtering mechanics of a liberal education.
But our thoughts they were palsied and sere -
For we knew not the month was October,
And we marked not the night of the year -
(Ah, night of all nights in the year!)
It is probably not an opportune time to broach this collection. Despair is wont to rap at the door and sunlight is so elusive. There is a polar cold headed this way and I worry about my resolve. It is likely to be found wanting.
The better elements of this were internalized years ago through anthologies and the sputtering mechanics of a liberal education.
January 29, 2018
Perhaps the most appealing poems to be read out loud.
Some I like more than others.
Some I struggled to understand.
Some needed my concentration and devotion to be felt.
All in all, an enjoyable collection, if Poe can be ever called enjoyable.
Some I like more than others.
Some I struggled to understand.
Some needed my concentration and devotion to be felt.
All in all, an enjoyable collection, if Poe can be ever called enjoyable.
July 12, 2025
I LOVED some of them A LOT!
My favourite was The Raven (ofc) and The Sleeper
My favourite was The Raven (ofc) and The Sleeper
June 9, 2025
This edition of Signet Classics brings together Edgar Allan Poe's complete poetic works, presenting not only his famous poems, such as "The Raven" and "Annabel Lee," but also lesser-known pieces that reveal the author's philosophical depth. What makes this compilation particularly valuable is how it stands out through an insightful introduction and afterword.
This edition manages to illuminate how Poe's obsession with the impermanent resonates with a lot of Buddhist concepts (such as the illusion of material reality). Poems like "Tamerlane" reveal an understanding of suffering that surprises with its parallelism to the Four Noble Truths. The introduction by Jay Parini is particularly lucid because, to me, it points out how the search for ideal beauty in Poe reflects both the romantic yearning and the Buddhist path to transcend attachment.
The afterword by April Bernard brightly contextualizes Poe within the romantic movement, showing how its treatment of the sublime and the gothic anticipates many modern authors. The selection includes early poems that demonstrate evolution from a conventional romanticism towards a more personal and metaphysical vision.
This anthology does an invaluable service by showing Poe not only as a horror poet, but as a poet-philosopher whose work dialogues with universal spiritual traditions. Although I do agree with Bernard when she says that: "His poems are often just a little too long, just a little too much; the effects are sometimes too self-conscious and overdone; and the effort to capture and memorialize certain emotional events can seem strained" (p. 130).
Anyhow, I found fascinating material here, especially in poems such as "Sonnet-Silence" (related to Nirvana) and "A Dream Within a Dream" (the illusion of reality).
This edition manages to illuminate how Poe's obsession with the impermanent resonates with a lot of Buddhist concepts (such as the illusion of material reality). Poems like "Tamerlane" reveal an understanding of suffering that surprises with its parallelism to the Four Noble Truths. The introduction by Jay Parini is particularly lucid because, to me, it points out how the search for ideal beauty in Poe reflects both the romantic yearning and the Buddhist path to transcend attachment.
The afterword by April Bernard brightly contextualizes Poe within the romantic movement, showing how its treatment of the sublime and the gothic anticipates many modern authors. The selection includes early poems that demonstrate evolution from a conventional romanticism towards a more personal and metaphysical vision.
This anthology does an invaluable service by showing Poe not only as a horror poet, but as a poet-philosopher whose work dialogues with universal spiritual traditions. Although I do agree with Bernard when she says that: "His poems are often just a little too long, just a little too much; the effects are sometimes too self-conscious and overdone; and the effort to capture and memorialize certain emotional events can seem strained" (p. 130).
Anyhow, I found fascinating material here, especially in poems such as "Sonnet-Silence" (related to Nirvana) and "A Dream Within a Dream" (the illusion of reality).
June 3, 2025
Bueno... ¿Qué decir de un libro que significa tanto para mí? Mejor dicho ¿Qué no decir?
Edgar Allan Poe es uno de mis escritores favoritos de toda la vida, y poder disfrutarlo en su poesía es, sin dudas, una experiencia memorable.
Esta edición bilingüe, un trabajo excelente de Hiperión, sin dudas ha mejorado notoriamente mi experiencia, por lo que las cinco estrellas no sólo son para el autor, también son para ellos. Con lo difícil que es traducir a Poe y más aún ¡Con lo difícil que es traducir poesía! Todo esto y aún no he mencionado el trabajo de compilación, que incluye no solo los poemas publicados por el autor, sino los que se le atribuyen y los que no fueron recogidos por él. Por si fuera poco también trae notas que él mismo realizó a algunos poemas. Una edición digna de galardón, por todo el inmenso trabajo qué hay detrás.
Los poemas de Poe gozan de unos sentimientos puros y apasionados, habla de la tristeza, de muerte, de locura, todo en un tono armoniosamente gótico; es una mezcla de sutil maravilla.
Tiene la capacidad de llevarnos a lugares tétricos tanto como a tierras de hadas, de transmitirnos toda su melancolía y a la vez todo su amor. Palabras delicadas, palabras apasionadas, toda su peculiar personalidad plasmada en estas páginas...
Solo me resta pedir a todos los que les guste Poe que lo lean en este género, y a los que no, si les gusta la poesía, también, porque no tiene desperdicio.
«..Sus almas olorosas en una muerte extática;
cayó sobre los erguidos rostros de estas rosas,
que sonrieron y murieron en su parterre, encantadas
por ti y por la poesía de tu presencia...»
- Fragmento de “A Helena”
Edgar Allan Poe es uno de mis escritores favoritos de toda la vida, y poder disfrutarlo en su poesía es, sin dudas, una experiencia memorable.
Esta edición bilingüe, un trabajo excelente de Hiperión, sin dudas ha mejorado notoriamente mi experiencia, por lo que las cinco estrellas no sólo son para el autor, también son para ellos. Con lo difícil que es traducir a Poe y más aún ¡Con lo difícil que es traducir poesía! Todo esto y aún no he mencionado el trabajo de compilación, que incluye no solo los poemas publicados por el autor, sino los que se le atribuyen y los que no fueron recogidos por él. Por si fuera poco también trae notas que él mismo realizó a algunos poemas. Una edición digna de galardón, por todo el inmenso trabajo qué hay detrás.
Los poemas de Poe gozan de unos sentimientos puros y apasionados, habla de la tristeza, de muerte, de locura, todo en un tono armoniosamente gótico; es una mezcla de sutil maravilla.
Tiene la capacidad de llevarnos a lugares tétricos tanto como a tierras de hadas, de transmitirnos toda su melancolía y a la vez todo su amor. Palabras delicadas, palabras apasionadas, toda su peculiar personalidad plasmada en estas páginas...
Solo me resta pedir a todos los que les guste Poe que lo lean en este género, y a los que no, si les gusta la poesía, también, porque no tiene desperdicio.
«..Sus almas olorosas en una muerte extática;
cayó sobre los erguidos rostros de estas rosas,
que sonrieron y murieron en su parterre, encantadas
por ti y por la poesía de tu presencia...»
- Fragmento de “A Helena”
April 13, 2018
It took me awhile to finish this poetry book like 3 months?!! yes !! three months!!
Not because it's bad, nope!
I found myself drowned with work and the desire to read such a classic almost evaporated, but I was really patient and determined to resume reading these poems.
I found many poems beautifully done and yes I found one to be a favorite, too.
I struggled a bit with some poems, but I survived, at last.
I relish Edgar Allan Poe's writing and I can't contain myself of buying anything for him, so this can tell you something!
I would definitely go back and reread these poems once again
Not because it's bad, nope!
I found myself drowned with work and the desire to read such a classic almost evaporated, but I was really patient and determined to resume reading these poems.
I found many poems beautifully done and yes I found one to be a favorite, too.
I struggled a bit with some poems, but I survived, at last.
I relish Edgar Allan Poe's writing and I can't contain myself of buying anything for him, so this can tell you something!
I would definitely go back and reread these poems once again
May 27, 2017
Just gonna say it - aside from "The Raven", and a couple other pieces that really speak to Poe's understanding of rhythm, I didn't see a whole lot here.
March 6, 2019
“Kuzgun” hayatımda okuduğum en etkileyici şiirlerden biri, Poe’nun hayatını öğrenince daha anlam kazanıyor aslında şiirler.
Read
October 12, 2021poe put his left tit in “A dream. Within a dream”
March 5, 2012
I enjoyed the book overall. I adored some poems but found others to be tedious and confusing. Some poems were difficult to understand, and many, particularly the poems written for specific people, might have been more enjoyable if the book had provided some kind of information or context. Some of these poems just don't work in a vacuum. These poems range from romance to horror to fantasy, and there is even a drama included at the end of the book. The poems are given in reverse chronological order, and I was glad of the opportunity to observe Poe's style and skill progress with time.
May 15, 2017
"Annabel Lee" has always been one of my favorite poems. I loved the haunting beauty and tragedy of it and the theme of eternal love. This little book is a great collection for those who like the chilling touch of the macabre in their poetry or even just evocative lyrics. On a quick side note, I like "The Raven" and have to admit that whenever I think of it I think of that Simpsons episode that has James Earl Jones reciting it with the help of Homer and Bart. Classic.
November 16, 2020
A wonderful read for a gloomy day, when you've had a bit too much wine and your cousin is starting to look real sexy.
August 24, 2023
autumn reads 04
im so envious of people who can make art from words
im so envious of people who can make art from words
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