I need to know what type of poem it is, the style of verse, the rhythm pattern, and the message of the poem. Any help is much appreciated!

-- Anonymous, January 17, 2005

Answers

Poe's influence may have been Byron's "Manfred" II,ii,50-56 and "The Prisoner of Chillon" X, 44-49. In any event they are typical of the Byronic pose and Romanticist sensitivity, the self-centered hero ioslated and above the world. However the poem in structure and content and ingenuity is thoroughly Poe, sincere and typical, and innovative.

The poem is a remembrance of childhood's first poetic awakenings, themselves wordless and inexpressible but an explanation of the vision and all that was to come. It is structured as a grannatical progression of two statements, the "From" section about his general childhood specialness. This uses wrap around verses juxtaposing others and self, connnected but different, ending dramatically in the whole line "alone". The "Then" statement plays out in a sweeping dynorama the vision experience of a view of nature that resolves into the solitary cloud in a blue sky.

For paralleism, counterpoint, alliteration, rhyme and assonance it is equally rich in feeling as in the dynamic meter itself, relentless, melancholic, conveying the experience of lonely wonder and awe and sad self discovery sealing speicalness. One is reminded of the vision of Elijah when the sounds and furies of nature finally abate and in that lonely place the prophet hears the voice of God as a small voice of the quiet. For all the storm that crescendoes the vision is a small and silent visual cloud. The matching of vision and chldhood is symbolic and utterly paralleled.

Check out any lines for alliteration such as the t in "In its autumn tint of gold" which is the word music suggesting metal, bright sound and brittleness. Most of the imagery and devices serve the emotion and sound as they as they must have felt even more than the scene they decribe. The problem word "demon" is fittingly disturbing though the suggestive sense means more the "daemonic" force of some outside power more than the "scary stuff" we simpliistically hear today in the word. But that is typical Poe too, when the superantural, though explained away and not central yet conveys the chill and thrill of his poetic inspiration. See "The Lake" for another confessional poetic wellspring poem based on a visit to a lake.

The second part of the poem is best introduced by the line "The mystery that binds me still" the "mysterium" again a classical reference more than the mystery tale idea Poe had yet to invent at that point. Mystery in this sense is ineffable and easier to feel than to describe. The binding of Poe to his Muse is as unshakable as his childhood uniqueness containing the sorrows and the seal of glory on his being set apart.

It is a moving and wonderfullly sounding poem that increases in power with study of its woven art. A copy written in a schoolfriend's textbook, it is astounding this poem had not been included in Poe's published collections.

-- Anonymous, January 20, 2005

I just wanted to tell you I got an A+ on my paper and I wouldn't have been able to do it without your help. Thank you so much!

-- Anonymous, February 13, 2005

Ok this is a question, but my computer's stupid, so it wont let me post a question. Ok, i have a week to memorize and recite this poem, and i have to a nalyse it as well. I noticed that the meter in some lines is different from the metre count in other lines. Poe doesn't tend to do things just to be random, so why did he do this?

-- Anonymous, February 20, 2005

That was gay and Poe is dead, go home and die.

-- Anonymous, March 02, 2005