Eldorado

by Edgar Allan Poe

The poem describes the journey of a "gallant knight" in search of the legendary El Dorado. The knight spends much of his life on this quest. In his old age, he finally meets a "pilgrim shadow" who points the way through "the Valley of Shadow."

Genres: Classics, Short Stories, Poetry, Fiction, Horror, Romance, Gothic

First published January 1, 1842

About the author

The 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...

Reviews

[Steven Serpens · Rating 2 out of 5]

En un idílico valle de ensueño, florece el amor entre dos jóvenes. Sin embargo, cuando la muerte acecha a la muchacha, él le promete que jamás abandonará el lugar ni se casará con nadie más. Pero esa promesa, tarde o temprano, terminará por romperse…


Estamos ante un relato bastante curioso de su autor, diferente de todo lo leído hasta ahora. Realmente no sabría dónde ni cómo clasificarlo. De hecho, en un principio, pensé que se trataba de algún tipo de desahogo de Poe para expresar su luto, al recordar con nostalgia su feliz vida de casado y de cómo luego se vio afectado por la viudez; hasta encontrar eventualmente una nueva luz que ilumine su sendero, reflejada en Ermengarde, pero no es el caso.

Este cuento fue escrito varios años antes de perder a su esposa. Pero, claro, es innegable que la trama se alimenta de la relación con su mujer, ya que ese vínculo conyugal ocupa el rol protagónico de esta historia, no sus personajes.


Creo que no tengo mucho más para agregar al respecto. Tampoco digo que Eleonora sea un mal título ni mucho menos; en realidad, considero que está correcto, pero no me causó nada relevante. También reconozco que tiene calidad y una vibra muy especial.

Además, si han leído mi reseña de Los anteojos, ya sabrán que ese cuento se me hizo cuesta arriba en un par de secciones, pero al menos logró sacarme una sonrisa en la recta final; en cambio, esta lectura me fue totalmente indiferente, junto con considerarla completamente olvidable.

Y no es que me haya disgustado en su totalidad, porque entiendo a la perfección que pueda ser una obra bellamente escrita, pero con una trama demasiado simple y puede que hasta floja. Por lo mismo, aplicando el mismo criterio que tuve para evaluar Los anteojos, creo que la calificación que le otorgo a Eleonora es de ★★☆☆☆.


La verdad, muy lindo el concepto, la ambientación, el planteamiento y todo lo que quieran, pero no es lo que busco para leer, ni mucho menos de este autor, que se caracteriza por otro tipo de relatos. Quizás su mensaje, el trasfondo o el significado de esta historia sea que Poe se estaba preparando para alejarse de su esposa cuando llegara lo inevitable, y lo plasmó a través de este cuento, a modo de consuelo para sus venideros momentos de soledad; o, tal vez fue su forma artística de maquillar una infidelidad.


En fin, como ya les dije, es un título olvidable, al igual que la promesa del protagonista.


Para otras reseñas sobre la obra de Edgar Allan Poe:

• El gato negro, cuya reseña está bugueada en el feed de Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
• El cuervo, hasta ahora, el único poema que he reseñado de este autor: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
• Narraciones extraordinarias, recopilatorio donde reúno todo lo que he leído de Poe, además de incluir un top 28 y argumentar mi opinión en profundidad sobre él como autor: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

First published in 1842, ELEONORA is a beautifully written story of true love by Edgar Allan Poe that is said to be somewhat autobiographical.

...."Eleonora was the name of my cousin."

...."Hand in hand about this valley, for fifteen years, roamed I with Eleonora before love entered within our hearts."

Expecting dark and grim, was quite surprised by the tenderness in the prose that delivered a warm-hearted message "in the silence of the night."

[فايز Ghazi · Rating 3 out of 5]

- هي قصة عن الحب الأول، الحب الأول البريء، العميق والأسطوري الى حد ما.. الحب الأول الذي يدفعك الى قطع وعود خيالية (لن احب بعدك مثلاً)، وإقامة صلوات للحب و"آلهته"... التطور الدرامتيكي كان في موت "اليونورا"، فدخل عنصر الموت ليشتبك مع عنصر الحب، فأضحى الراوي كئيباً وتغيّرت الدنيا في عينيه، وكل ما كان جميلاً (الوادي، الأزهار، الطيور، النهر،...) أصبح كئيياً وبشعاً... الفقد كارثي، لكن مع العودة الى الواقع والبدء بمقابلة الناس تحضر"إرمنغارد" فيقع في حبها، يتزوجها، وتأتي النهاية السعيدة بعودة طيف اليونور ليحلّ الراوي من وعده! هل تخيّل الراوي هذا الحلّ. هل ترأى له؟ هل ابتدعه عقله الباطني لتعليل نكثه بالوعد؟! لا ادري، لكن الحياة تستمر....

[Quirkyreader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another good creeper by Poe.

[Exina · Rating 2 out of 5]

They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night.

Of course, this story is significant due to the autobiographical aspects, but the least engaging story by Poe I’ve read so far. The writing style is sentimental and pompous. I don’t think I will read the other two related stories, Morella and Ligeia.

[Melina · Rating 3 out of 5]

" Οι άνθρωποι με λένε τρελό, αλλά το ζήτημα παραμένει ακόμη άλυτο: Είναι ή δεν είναι η τρέλα η υπέρτατη ευφυΐα; Άραγε το μεγαλειώδες- στο μεγαλύτερο μέρος του - και το βαθυστόχαστο- καθ' ολοκληρίαν - πηγάζουν από μια ασθένεια του πνεύματος, από εξημμένες νοητικές διαθέσεις, οι οποίες αναπτύσσονται εις βάρος της γενικής νοημοσύνης; Όσοι ονειροπολούν την ημέρα συναισθάνονται πράγματα που διαφεύγουν από όσους ονειρεύονται μόνο τη νύχτα. Στα θαμπά τους οράματα συλλαμβάνουν μια φευγαλέα αναλαμπή αιωνιότητας και ξυπνώντας αναριγούν, έχοντας τη αίσθηση ότι μόλις βρέθηκαν στα πρόθυρα ενός μεγάλου μυστικού."

[Evelyn (devours and digests words) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful prose is beautiful. I'm really glad this one ended on a happy ending.

3.5 stars

[Aishu Rehman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first romance story I've ever read from Edgar Allan Poe. I love it. It is all about true love and has a happy ending, even though it has death as almost every EAP story.

[Mebarka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spoiler alert :this one has a happy ending

“Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night.”

Eleonora is a short story ,with a lyrical sentimental prose ,that shows the glory of love.Through a simple story line Poe recites the story of a protagonist who recollects two distinct periods in his life.The first one is about his love for his cousin Eleonora who dies at a young age ,and his vow to remain loyal to her ,the second is about his marriage to Ermengarde.

[Janelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lush story of love, loss and love again.

[Fernando · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eleonora forma parte de esa tríada de mujeres mitad ángeles, mitad reales y por supuesto, fatales junto con Morella y Ligeia.
De la misma manera que en los otros cuentos, aquí persiste el influjo de la mujer amada más allá de la vida y la muerte, con el aliciente de que el final es distinto a los anteriores, ya que aquí nos encontramos con algo de luz dentro de tanta muerte.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Refreshingly, "Eleonora" digresses from all the doom and gloom and ends on a happy note. It's written in joyful, vivid language. Without delving into the plot summary, the story raises intriguing questions about the nature of madness and intelligence, suggesting that madness might be a heightened form of insight. Poe contrasts two kinds of people: those who dream while awake, grasping truths hidden from those who only dream at night. It should also be mentioned that an incestuous relationship exists, which adds an unsettling layer to the story.

[toointofiction · Rating 5 out of 5]

the way edgar allan poe is mood should be alarming, honestly. 👀👀

[A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hay amores hermosos que en ocasiones no están destinados a ser por más que lo queramos. Pero debemos tener presente, sin olvidar ese amor previo, que algunos amores son solo el viaje, no el destino. Es por eso que no debemos cerrarnos a un amor nuevo, cuando el previo ya no esta.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very beautiful tale told in the form of prose poetry. This review is for Eleonora.

[Federico DN · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good.

This was good, but not going to review it.

For the moment at least.

It’s public domain. You can find it HERE.

-----------------------------------------------
PERSONAL NOTE :
[1842] [28p] [Horror] [Conditional Recommendable]
-----------------------------------------------
Bueno.

Esto estuvo bien, pero no voy a reseñarlo.

Al menos por ahora.

Es dominio público, lo pueden encontrar ACA.

-----------------------------------------------
NOTA PERSONAL :
[1842] [28p] [Horror] [Recomendable Condicional]
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[Coleccionista de finales tristes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sub conservatione formae specificae salva anima.

The first modern short stories in english were ghost stories. Poe was publishing fiction in the 1830s.

[Sauerkirsche · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poe und ein Happy End? Funktioniert das ernsthaft? In diesem Fall nicht. Das ganze wäre ja eigentlich mal ganz schön gewesen, aber dieses Happy End ist dermaßen kitschig, dass ich mich gefragt habe ob diese Geschichte tatsächlich von Poe stammt. Selbst die Sprache war mir diesmal zu schwülstig, was die kitschige Liebesgeschichte nicht unbedingt besser gemacht hat. Vielleicht hat Poe hier seinen Wünschen einfach mal freien Lauf gelassen und sich seinen Märchenprinzessinnentraum bzw. Prinzentraum erfüllt. Es sei ihm auch vergönnt, schließlich hat er ja nicht sonderlich viel Glück im Leben gehabt. Mein Fall war diese Geschichte nicht, tut mir Leid Edgar ich bevorzuge einfach dein düsteres, makaberes, melancholisches Ich.

[Taghreed Jamal El Deen · Rating 1 out of 5]

" إن هؤلاء الذين يحلمون وهم أيقاظ يعرفون أشياء كثيرة تفوت أولئك الذين لا يحلمون إلا وهم نيام "

[Salem ☥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

"But he grew old—
This knight so bold—
And o'er his heart a shadow
Fell as he found
No spot of ground
That looked like Eldorado."

paints a perfect picture, but i didn't get much out of it.

[Cristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

A través de las gafas violeta, siglo XXI:

- él, sujeto.
- ella, objeto.

[Ali Nazari · Rating 4 out of 5]

چقدر طبیعت گرا و جذاب و عاشقانه بود.

[Lee Foust · Rating 5 out of 5]

What? A happy ending from Poe? I think he's at his most autobiographic here, and for once indulges in self-forgiveness rather than exploring the dark side of his imagination, or just the slow, relentless encroachment of death, or human perversity. It's rather beautiful, I think.

[Jaime · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful. I have been listening to this being read by one of my most favourite artists William Control.I simply cannot stop listening to this beautiful story.

[Tobi ﾄﾋﾞ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish this was how the narrator in my brain spoke

[Alexis Breut · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note finale : 3.5/5

Lu dans le recueil "La Chute de la Maison Usher et autres histoires extraordinaires" des éditions RBA coleccionables.

C'est la deuxième nouvelle de Poe que je lis et je suis très agréablement surpris ! C'est une très belle histoire d'amour, vraiment mignonne et très intense et même si le spectre de la mort ne peut pas s'empêcher de venir poser ses grosses pattounes griffues sur l'intrigue, c'est une nouvelle assez lumineuse et optimiste, finalement. Je pensais que je n'arriverais pas à lire du Poe pour le plaisir mais j'avais tort.

J'ai quand même enlevé une demi-étoile parce que c'est une romance entre un gars de 20 ans et sa cousine de 15, qui, je cite, "était-elle autre chose qu'une enfant ?". Vomito, vomito. Surtout que tu la faisais avoir 20 ans aussi et l'histoire marchait aussi bien. Mais bon, Poe était un vieux gars du XIXe qui a épousé sa cousine de 13 ans, on fait avec ce qu'on a.

[✰ Natalia ✰ · Rating 4 out of 5]

„Nazwano mnie szaleńcem, lecz kto wie, czy obłęd nie stanowi najwznioślejszego przejawy inteligencji - czy w znacznej mierze tego, co świetne w naszym dorobku, a w całości tego, co prawdziwie głębokie, nie zawdzięczamy myśli chorobliwej - stanom umysłu wzbudzanym kosztem ogólnego rozwoju intelektu, wszak kwestia ta wciąż pozostaje otwarta”

[Stefania · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me recuerda un poco a sus poemas cómo está escrito, me ha gustado mucho.

[Ragad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poe's writing just speaks to my soul. The alliteration scattered across the text is just so pleasing to me. There's a rhythm to his writing. It's quite musical and lovely-sounding. I love a man who loves passionately and says so unashamedly and with all conviction, like our narrator.

The way he describes love as a sort of surrender is so, so beautiful. I love the imagery he paints as he goes on about the valley of his childhood. The way he describes nature and his appreciation for it and then directs that exultation towards Eleanora. Every time he does that, I blush a little. It's so unexpected and yet so pure and innocent. I feel like it reflects the mindset of his youth in that valley and the modest life he had there.

And then the untimely death of Eleanora comes near, and the music of the piece shifts.The writing becomes dark, like our narrator's emotions, and you really feel this shift he speaks of that marks a new era in his life. There's a maturity and a melancholy, a sort of gravity and heaviness, in the melody of the writing during the era after Eleanora. You can really feel his devotedness to his first love and to love in general.

Even as Ermengarde comes into the picture, I don't feel as though he's betrayed his love. Rather that he has recovered it. It's an elevated form of the innocent love he shared with Eleanora. A more mature and grounded love. And since he didn't give up on love, heaven absolves him of the punishments he wished upon himself if he ever found love after Eleanora.

I feel like the message here is that you're not tied to the promises of your youth and that you are always deserving of love and a redo on the plans you put forth for yourself and for your life.

[David Doyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, a Poe story that isn't rife with mental illness, abuse or murder. It's a love story. The most interesting part, to me, was the description of the valley where the narrator lives along with the girl he loves. The valley changes to reflect their relationship and it implies a lot without the narrator having to explicitly say. Being a Poe story, it's not all 'happily ever after' for this couple and the valley reflects what happens.

The end is kinda unexpected and abrupt, if this is what his happy endings are like, no wonder Edgar Allen Poe didn't write many of them. But like I said, The Valley of the Many-Colored Grass is the best part.