Life's tenor

Edgar Allan Poe's works are always intriguing to me.  I wonder what went on in his mind as he wrote his various works.  He had such a talent.  There is hardly a better poem written than his Bells because of all the literary figures of speech he includes.  His short stories entertain because of his strategic use of irony.  And his personal life was more eccentric than most of those around him, so he he created quite the reputation.  Some refer to his drug use.  However, that part of his story is largely unconfirmed.

I think the main reason I like him is that he was able to write about whatever he wanted including sentiments in his heart that society thought were out of place.  The sterling example is from his poem Anabel Lee.  I have found that most students coming through school these days can tell you about the Raven (and his reported drug use while writing it) his Cask of Amontillado, Tell-Tale Heart, or Masque of the Red Death, but rarely have people been exposed to Anabel Lee.  Society can even rob a world class author of the sentiments he wants to put forth for people to read if they think he wrote something unacceptable.  And by unacceptable, I mean against the value system of the conservative right morally and religiously.

But I say kudos to Edgar Allan Poe for penning his thoughts for the one he loved.  People commonly thought that the poem was intended for someone he wasn't married to.  Maybe that's true.  In fact, one woman, named Sarah said he told her the poem was about her.  Two other women also named Sarah claimed the same thing.  No one really knows.  But, even if true, I am glad for him that he found love.  It is so important to have that bond in life because everything else in life comes hard, drains your energy, causes restlessness, and makes existence not worth the living.  Having that one person to love and be loved by changes every dynamic one faces in life.

The poem has 5 stanzas of 6, 8 and 12 lines.  But stanza four represents the tenor of the poem and its passion.  

But our love 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 Anabel Lee.

Anabel Lee was a lucky woman and Edgar a lucky man for finding each other, regardless of what the rest of society had to say about it or tried to exclude from the public and from posterity.  Modern conservative scholars have even proposed that Poe wrote this about his wife, and in that way have tried to squash the controversy.  Typical hogwash.  Whatever -   

Yes, a lucky man that Edgar Allan... 

For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams

   Of the beautiful Annabel Lee

And the stars never rise but I feel the bright eyes

   of the beautiful Anabel Lee.

I should be so fortunate.