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For Annie
10 pages
First published April 28, 1849
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56 people want to read
About the author
Edgar Allan Poe
10.2k books29.1k 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 - 29 of 36 reviews
July 6, 2021
A perplexing love poem that makes you think. Did he die? Was he simply peacefully sleeping? Or did she help ease him out of illness and into the afterlife? It seems unclear.
September 13, 2020
11:51pm
I’m a bit disturbed by this one, Poe. Nevertheless, I expected no less.
I also couldn’t help but chuckle at some point; the way some 19th century poets (namely, the male variety) describe women is hilarious to me. It felt like reading a reference to an old joke, as it reminded me of the romance poetry anthology we read in English Literature in school (admittedly, that’s where I discovered 19th centuries poetry and fell in love with it, which eventually led me to discover Edgar Allan Poe, so I’m not hating at all) and how hilarious some parts were to mine and my friends’ young teenage selves.
Classic Poe, but not my favourite of his works. I enjoyed the flow of the words but not the overall message.
I’m a bit disturbed by this one, Poe. Nevertheless, I expected no less.
I also couldn’t help but chuckle at some point; the way some 19th century poets (namely, the male variety) describe women is hilarious to me. It felt like reading a reference to an old joke, as it reminded me of the romance poetry anthology we read in English Literature in school (admittedly, that’s where I discovered 19th centuries poetry and fell in love with it, which eventually led me to discover Edgar Allan Poe, so I’m not hating at all) and how hilarious some parts were to mine and my friends’ young teenage selves.
Classic Poe, but not my favourite of his works. I enjoyed the flow of the words but not the overall message.
December 12, 2018
I find I have rather mixed feelings towards Poe’s poetry – some I really enjoy, others I feel nothing towards. With For Annie, we have one I really enjoyed.
For Annie demonstrates some of the best things about Poe’s poetry, pulling you into the poem and leaving it lingering in your mind once you finished. Although it is not my favourite Poe poem – The Raven still holds that position – it was certainly one of my favourites.
For Annie demonstrates some of the best things about Poe’s poetry, pulling you into the poem and leaving it lingering in your mind once you finished. Although it is not my favourite Poe poem – The Raven still holds that position – it was certainly one of my favourites.
November 17, 2020
For Annie is a poem to Poe's cherished friend Mrs. Charles B. Richmond of Lowell and Westford, Massachusetts.
"Annie is a nurturing figure who lovingly cares for the dying narrator, a maternal figure who 'tenderly kissed' him, 'fondly caressed' him, then allowed him 'gently / To sleep on her breast.' She allows him to rest contentedly and provides him the security of his love." Sova, Dawn, B. (2001). Edgar Allan Poe, A to Z : the essential reference to his life and work. New York: Checkmark Books. (12)
"The personal experience upon which the poem is based Poe recounted in a somewhat hysterical letter to 'Annie' [Mrs. Richmond] from Fordham on November 16, 1848:
Why am I not with you now darling that I might . . . look deep down into the clear Heaven of your eyes . . . whisper in your ear the divine emotion[s], which agitate me[?] . . . in Providence — I went to bed & wept through a long, long, hideous night of despair . . . I procured . . . laudanum and . . . took the cars back to Boston . . . I wrote you a letter, in which I opened my whole heart to you . . . I then reminded you of that holy promise, which was the last I exacted from you in parting — the promise that, under all circumstances, you would come to me on my bed of death . . . Having written this letter, I swallowed about half the laudanum . . . A friend was at hand, who . . . saved me . . . After the laudanum was rejected from the stomach, I became calm, & to a casual observer, sane . . . I am so ill . . . in body and mind, that I feel I CANNOT live, unless I can feel your sweet, gentle, loving hand pressed upon my forehead — oh my pure, virtuous, generous, beautiful, beautiful sister Annie! — is it not POSSIBLE for you to come . . . until I subdue this fearful agitation . . . Farewell — here & hereafter — forever your own Eddy —" https://www.eapoe.org/works/mabbott/t...
"Annie is a nurturing figure who lovingly cares for the dying narrator, a maternal figure who 'tenderly kissed' him, 'fondly caressed' him, then allowed him 'gently / To sleep on her breast.' She allows him to rest contentedly and provides him the security of his love." Sova, Dawn, B. (2001). Edgar Allan Poe, A to Z : the essential reference to his life and work. New York: Checkmark Books. (12)
"The personal experience upon which the poem is based Poe recounted in a somewhat hysterical letter to 'Annie' [Mrs. Richmond] from Fordham on November 16, 1848:
Why am I not with you now darling that I might . . . look deep down into the clear Heaven of your eyes . . . whisper in your ear the divine emotion[s], which agitate me[?] . . . in Providence — I went to bed & wept through a long, long, hideous night of despair . . . I procured . . . laudanum and . . . took the cars back to Boston . . . I wrote you a letter, in which I opened my whole heart to you . . . I then reminded you of that holy promise, which was the last I exacted from you in parting — the promise that, under all circumstances, you would come to me on my bed of death . . . Having written this letter, I swallowed about half the laudanum . . . A friend was at hand, who . . . saved me . . . After the laudanum was rejected from the stomach, I became calm, & to a casual observer, sane . . . I am so ill . . . in body and mind, that I feel I CANNOT live, unless I can feel your sweet, gentle, loving hand pressed upon my forehead — oh my pure, virtuous, generous, beautiful, beautiful sister Annie! — is it not POSSIBLE for you to come . . . until I subdue this fearful agitation . . . Farewell — here & hereafter — forever your own Eddy —" https://www.eapoe.org/works/mabbott/t...
April 7, 2023
"The sickness -- the nausea --
The pitiless pain --
Have ceased, with the fever
That maddened my brain --"
this is the saddest and most beautiful edgar allan poe poem i have read thus far. it's deep and touching and makes you sit and think, as it was published just months before his death.
The pitiless pain --
Have ceased, with the fever
That maddened my brain --"
this is the saddest and most beautiful edgar allan poe poem i have read thus far. it's deep and touching and makes you sit and think, as it was published just months before his death.
May 31, 2017
It's a very well done poem with fantastic prose that is a complete pleasure to read. The only draw back is the incredibly high view it takes of death, which is quite disconcerting about half way through the poem.
September 7, 2025
"That you fancy me dead--- That you shudder to look at me, Thinking me dead"
February 1, 2018
It has a nice rhythm and a message that's easy to understand. I think it has this duality of having dark themes like death, fever, and mourning, but is also hilarious because the fever is called Living and the narrator seems quite content to lie in bed as his consciousness drifts between worlds.
September 3, 2019
I have arranged my takeaway thoughts into a haiku:
"How much jauntier
The deathbed's grim end finds those
We tended in grief."
"How much jauntier
The deathbed's grim end finds those
We tended in grief."
May 17, 2024
FULL REVIEW ON MY WEBSITE
https://thebookcornerchronicles.com/2...
However I need to give this poem points for pulling you into the poem and leaving it lingering in your mind once you finished.
This one is a perplexing love poem that sort of makes you think.
The writing style was pretty decent but as someone who have read almost every short story and poem by Edgar Allan Poe I need to say that he was able to do a better job.
But as someone who calls himself “Edgar Allan Poe fan” it is a must read as any other poem and short story.
https://thebookcornerchronicles.com/2...
However I need to give this poem points for pulling you into the poem and leaving it lingering in your mind once you finished.
This one is a perplexing love poem that sort of makes you think.
The writing style was pretty decent but as someone who have read almost every short story and poem by Edgar Allan Poe I need to say that he was able to do a better job.
But as someone who calls himself “Edgar Allan Poe fan” it is a must read as any other poem and short story.
December 6, 2019
Wonderful grasp on rhyme and rhythm.
e.g.
"The moaning and groaning,
The sighing and sobbing,
Are quieted now,
With that horrible throbbing
At heart:—ah, that horrible,
Horrible throbbing!
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."
e.g.
"The moaning and groaning,
The sighing and sobbing,
Are quieted now,
With that horrible throbbing
At heart:—ah, that horrible,
Horrible throbbing!
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."
February 22, 2023
I read this poem in the Complete Works of Edgar Allen Poe anthology: The Complete Tales and Poems. See my review for it here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 31, 2019
3.85
And the fever called "Living" is conquered at last.
Another interesting take on life and death. In For Annie, Poe makes the case that living is a disease that he is cured of after death. That he glows brighter with the love of Annie by him.
And the fever called "Living" is conquered at last.
Another interesting take on life and death. In For Annie, Poe makes the case that living is a disease that he is cured of after death. That he glows brighter with the love of Annie by him.
January 9, 2021
Another Poe down as the run of his short poetic works continues.
This one has some very nice imagery and you could feel the emotion of the author here.
It actually felt quite intense.
I quite enjoyed this one.
Not top three material, but certainly a contender.
This one has some very nice imagery and you could feel the emotion of the author here.
It actually felt quite intense.
I quite enjoyed this one.
Not top three material, but certainly a contender.
December 6, 2024
As I am going through the different works of Poe this captures the appeal of his works pretty well for me. The tragic nature of the narrator's situation is still profound even in such short amount of words. Not my favorite work of his but I still appreciate it enough.
January 31, 2025
The way he talks like death can be so cold and lonely, so sad and painfull, but relieving and soft in some way.
That in the same way he is with someone holding him, this is such a personal moment that it's like you're by yourself.
Maybe I should reread to comprehend it better.
That in the same way he is with someone holding him, this is such a personal moment that it's like you're by yourself.
Maybe I should reread to comprehend it better.
November 29, 2018
There are so many reasons to love Edgar Allan Poe, and 'For Annie' is one of them.
Read
April 27, 2022Watch the livestream discussion
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https://youtu.be/HHkhNoadDGA
July 30, 2022
3.5 stars
July 31, 2022
Another great poem by the incomparable Edgar Allen Poe. I liked this poem because it juxtaposes what he saw as an ugliness of life contrasted with a sublime beauty found in death.
Read
April 15, 2023El lore de este poema es fantástico: http://elespejogotico.blogspot.com/20...
También leí "A mi madre". B E L L E Z A
También leí "A mi madre". B E L L E Z A
December 31, 2023
se acabó el year challenge con edgar allan poe igual !!
April 9, 2025
oh to be loved by a poet
April 30, 2025
Final Score: 5 / 5
It's probably one of the prettiest poems out there.
It's probably one of the prettiest poems out there.
January 27, 2021
The wise man sayeth: (paste stanza one here)
August 22, 2025
Published for the first time in April 1848 (only a few months before Poe's tragical sudden death, aged only 40) by The Flag of Our Union, this is one of his longest poems.
As usual for his works, poems or short stories, good old Poe is navigating on the thin border between life and death and, no surprise at all, he sees death as an escape and an achievement. Well, everyone is free to have his own choice...
As usual for his works, poems or short stories, good old Poe is navigating on the thin border between life and death and, no surprise at all, he sees death as an escape and an achievement. Well, everyone is free to have his own choice...
September 5, 2014
Read as part of the volume Edgar Allan Poe Complete Tales and Poems.
The actual rating is that of a 3.5 stars.
And the fever called "Living"
Is conquered at last.
---
But my heart is brighter
Than all of the many
Stars in the sky,
For it sparkles with Annie
It glows with the light
Of the love of my Annie
With the thought of the light
Of the eyes of my Annie.
The actual rating is that of a 3.5 stars.
And the fever called "Living"
Is conquered at last.
---
But my heart is brighter
Than all of the many
Stars in the sky,
For it sparkles with Annie
It glows with the light
Of the love of my Annie
With the thought of the light
Of the eyes of my Annie.
September 2, 2016
"Se calmó también la tortura, de todas la peor: esa horrible tortura de la sed por las aguas mortales del río maldito de la Pasión; pues para ello he bebido de un agua que apaga toda sed.
"
Para Annie junto con Annabel Lee, son de cierta manera los pilares del templo de Eros de Poe.
Dato: El poema fue completado por Nancy Richmond.
July 22, 2016
I loved the rhythm on this one. And the following lines;
"The moaning and groaning,
The sighing and sobbing,
Are quieted now,
With that horrible throbbing
At heart:—ah, that horrible,
Horrible throbbing!
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."
Fucking got me.
"The moaning and groaning,
The sighing and sobbing,
Are quieted now,
With that horrible throbbing
At heart:—ah, that horrible,
Horrible throbbing!
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."
Fucking got me.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 36 reviews