|
ONCE upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, | |
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore | |
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, | |
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door. | |
Tis some visiter, I muttered, tapping at my chamber door | 5 |
Only this and nothing more. | |
|
Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December; | |
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor. | |
Eagerly I wished the morrow;vainly I had sought to borrow | |
From my books surcease of sorrowsorrow for the lost Lenore | 10 |
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore | |
Nameless here for evermore. | |
|
And the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain | |
Thrilled mefilled me with fantastic terrors never felt before; | |
So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating | 15 |
Tis some visiter entreating entrance at my chamber door | |
Some late visiter entreating entrance at my chamber door; | |
This it is and nothing more. | |
|
Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer, | |
Sir, said I, or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore; | 20 |
But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping, | |
And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door, | |
That I scarce was sure I heard youhere I opened wide the door; | |
Darkness there and nothing more. | |
|
Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing, | 25 |
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before; | |
But the silence was unbroken, and the stillness gave no token, | |
And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, Lenore! | |
This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word Lenore! | |
Merely this and nothing more. | 30 |
|
Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning, | |
Soon again I heard a tapping somewhat louder than before. | |
Surely, said I, surely that is something at my window lattice; | |
Let me see, then, what thereat is, and this mystery explore | |
Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore; | 35 |
Tis the wind and nothing more! | |
|
Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter | |
In there stepped a stately Raven of the saintly days of yore. | |
Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he; | |
But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door | 40 |
Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door | |
Perched, and sat, and nothing more. | |
|
Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling, | |
By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore, | |
Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou, I said, art sure no craven, | 45 |
Ghastly grim and ancient Raven wandering from the Nightly shore | |
Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Nights Plutonian shore! | |
Quoth the Raven Nevermore. | |
|
Much I marvelled this ungainly fowl to hear discourse so plainly, | |
Though its answer little meaninglittle relevancy bore; | 50 |
For we cannot help agreeing that no living human being | |
Ever yet was blessed with seeing bird above his chamber door | |
Bird or beast upon the sculptured bust above his chamber door, | |
With such name as Nevermore. | |
|
But the Raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only | 55 |
That one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour. | |
Nothing farther then he utterednot a feather then he fluttered | |
Till I scarcely more than muttered Other friends have flown before | |
On the morrow he will leave me, as my hopes have flown before. | |
Then the bird said Nevermore. | 60 |
|
Startled at the stillness broken by reply so aptly spoken, | |
Doubtless, said I, what it utters is its only stock and store | |
Caught from some unhappy master whom unmerciful Disaster | |
Followed fast and followed faster till his songs one burden bore | |
Till the dirges of his Hope that melancholy burden bore | 65 |
Of Nevernevermore. | |
|
But the Raven still beguiling all my fancy into smiling, | |
Straight I wheeled a cushioned seat in front of bird and bust and door; | |
Then, upon the velvet sinking, I betook myself to linking | |
Fancy unto fancy, thinking what this ominous bird of yore | 70 |
What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and ominous bird of yore | |
Meant in croaking Nevermore. | |
|
This I sat engaged in guessing, but no syllable expressing | |
To the fowl whose fiery eyes now burned into my bosoms core; | |
This and more I sat divining, with my head at ease reclining | 75 |
On the cushions velvet lining that the lamp-light gloated oer, | |
But whose velvet violet lining with the lamp-light gloating oer, | |
She shall press, ah, nevermore! | |
|
Then, methought, the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censer | |
Swung by Seraphim whose foot-falls tinkled on the tufted floor. | 80 |
Wretch, I cried, thy God hath lent theeby these angels he hath sent thee | |
Respiterespite and nepenthe from thy memories of Lenore; | |
Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe and forget this lost Lenore! | |
Quoth the Raven Nevermore. | |
|
Prophet! said I, thing of evil! prophet still, if bird or devil! | 85 |
Whether Tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore, | |
Desolate yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted | |
On this home by Horror hauntedtell me truly, I implore | |
Is thereis there balm in Gilead?tell metell me, I implore! | |
Quoth the Raven Nevermore. | 90 |
|
Prophet! said I, thing of evil!prophet still, if bird or devil! | |
By that Heaven that bends above usby that God we both adore | |
Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn, | |
It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore | |
Clasp a rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore. | 95 |
Quoth the Raven Nevermore. | |
|
Be that word our sign of parting, bird or fiend! I shrieked, upstarting | |
Get thee back into the tempest and the Nights Plutonian shore! | |
Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken! | |
Leave my loneliness unbroken!quit the bust above my door! | 100 |
Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door! | |
Quoth the Raven Nevermore. | |
|
And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting | |
On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door; | |
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demons that is dreaming, | 105 |
And the lamp-light oer him streaming throws his shadow on the floor; | |
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor | |
Shall be liftednevermore! | |
|