DID POE EVER WRITE A POEM ABOUT HELEN? IF SO, WHAT HELEN WAS HE TALKING ABOUT.

-- Anonymous, June 07, 2000

Answers

Louis,

Actually, there were two poems entitled To Helen written by Edgar Allan Poe. The earliest poem was first printed in the work, Poems in 1831 and reprinted in the Southern Literary Messenger in March of 1836. It was reprinted again in several journals through 1845.

This poem, To Helen was titled by Poe himself and it is thought that it was written in memory of Ms. Jane Stith Craig Stanard, the mother of a boyhood friend of Edgar Poe. Poe met Ms. Stanard around the age of 14 and it is said that he visited her often and that her interest in and kindness toward Edgar led to his infatuation of her. Since Poe claims to have written numerous poems at this early age, it could have been written as early as 1823/24 but I really doubt it was written before 1827/28 because it was not included in the original publication of his first book of poems, Tamerlane and Other Poems in 1827 in Boston.

The poem praises Poes love of beauty. Using the classical Greek image of Helen of Troy as his ideal of beauty, Helen simply symbolizes this classical vision. The name Helen was not, in my view, intended to represent or characterize Ms. Stanards charming attributes and was only intended as a remembrance for her kindness and sympathy.

The second poem titled To Helen was originally titled To ___ ___ ___ before it was changed by Rufus W. Griswold in his 1850 biography and editing of Poes works. First printed in the Union Magazine of Literature and Art in November 1848, it was written for Mrs. Sarah Helen Powers Whitman, a widow of Providence, Rhode Island. They had been engaged to be married but the engagement was broken off in December of 1848. It is thought that while they shared a mutual love and respect, Poe never felt the passion for her he felt for his wife, Virginia.

Regards,

-- Anonymous, June 08, 2000