The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe Poem Summary

The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe Poem Summary and analysis, the raven by edgar allan poe summary of each stanza - The Raven is a narrative poem written by American poet Edgar Allan Poe and first published in 1845. It tells the story of a distraught young man who is visited by a talking raven that gradually drives him to the brink of madness.

The poem begins with the narrator, who is mourning the loss of his beloved Lenore. He is alone in his chamber on a cold and dreary night, reading in an attempt to distract himself from his sorrow.

As he hears a tapping at his chamber door, he opens it to find nothing there. The tapping continues, and when he opens the shuttered window, a raven flies in and perches upon a bust of Pallas (the goddess of wisdom) above his chamber door.

“The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe Poem Summary-The narrator, intrigued by the bird's unusual appearance, asks it various questions, to which the raven only responds with a single word: "Nevermore." The narrator becomes increasingly obsessed with the raven and begins to ask it questions about Lenore. Each time, the raven responds with the same word, "Nevermore," which frustrates and torments the narrator.

Also Read-

"Ode To The West Wind" By Percy Bysshe Shelley Poem Summary
"The Soldier" By Rupert Brooke Poem Summary
"To Autumn" By John Keats Poem Summary
The Lake Isle Of Innisfree" By W.B. Yeats Poem Summary

“The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe Poem Summary-As the poem progresses, the narrator's state of mind deteriorates. He imagines that the air around him becomes filled with the scent of perfume and that angels are casting their shadows upon the floor. He sees the raven as a symbol of death and his own inability to escape from his grief.

The poem concludes with the narrator accepting that he will never be free from his sorrow. He sees the raven as a prophet or demon, sent to taunt him with the knowledge that he will never be reunited with Lenore. The poem ends with the haunting repetition of the word "Nevermore," echoing the narrator's despair and his descent into madness.

“The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe Poem Summary-"The Raven" is renowned for its musicality, vivid imagery, and exploration of themes such as grief, loss, and the power of the human mind to create its own suffering. It is considered one of Poe's most famous and influential works, and it has had a lasting impact on literature and popular culture.

The Raven Poem

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 visitor,” I muttered, “tapping at my chamber door—

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 sorrow—sorrow for the lost Lenore—

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 me—filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;

So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating

“’Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door—

Some late visitor 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;

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 you”—here I opened wide the door;—

Darkness there and nothing more.

Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,

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.

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;—

’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—

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,

Ghastly grim and ancient Raven wandering from the Nightly shore—

Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night’s Plutonian shore!”

Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.”

Much I marvelled this ungainly fowl to hear discourse so plainly,

Though its answer little meaning—little relevancy bore;

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

That one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour.

Nothing farther then he uttered—not 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.”

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

Of ‘Never—nevermore’.”

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—

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 bosom’s core;

This and more I sat divining, with my head at ease reclining

On the cushion’s velvet lining that the lamp-light gloated o’er,

But whose velvet-violet lining with the lamp-light gloating o’er,

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.

“Wretch,” I cried, “thy God hath lent thee—by these angels he hath sent thee

Respite—respite 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!—

Whether Tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore,

Desolate yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted—

On this home by Horror haunted—tell me truly, I implore—

Is there—is there balm in Gilead?—tell me—tell me, I implore!”

Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.”

“Prophet!” said I, “thing of evil!—prophet still, if bird or devil!

By that Heaven that bends above us—by 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.”

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 Night’s 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!

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 demon’s that is dreaming,

And the lamp-light o’er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;

And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor

Shall be lifted—nevermore!

Conclusion

"The Raven" is a captivating and haunting poem that delves into the depths of grief and madness. Edgar Allan Poe masterfully crafts a tale of a narrator consumed by sorrow and tormented by a talking raven, which becomes a symbol of death and the narrator's own psychological anguish.

The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe Poem Summary-The poem explores themes of loss, the human capacity for self-torture, and the power of the mind to create its own misery. Through vivid imagery and poetic language, Poe creates a chilling atmosphere that draws readers into the narrator's world of despair and obsession.

“The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe Poem Summary-"The Raven" stands as one of Poe's most well-known and influential works, revered for its musicality, psychological depth, and exploration of the darker aspects of the human psyche. Its impact on literature and popular culture is undeniable, with its themes and imagery resonating with audiences throughout the years.

The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe Poem Summary and analysis- "The Raven" remains a timeless piece of literature that continues to captivate readers, provoking introspection and contemplation on themes of grief, loss, and the haunting power of the mind.