Oct 17, 2009

17th Virtual Poetry Circle

Don't forget about the Verse Reviewers link I'm creating here on Savvy Verse & Wit.

Send me an email with your blog information to savvyverseandwit AT gmail DOT com

And now, for the seventeenth edition of the Virtual Poetry Circle:

OK, Here's a poem up for reactions, interaction, and--dare I say it--analysis:

Remember, this is just for fun and is not meant to be stressful.

Keep in mind what Molly Peacock's books suggested. Look at a line, a stanza, sentences, and images; describe what you like or don't like; and offer an opinion. If you missed my review of her book, check it out here.

Sorry this one is a bit late.  I was having Internet issues all morning.  But now that it's cleared up, here's today's classic poem for your enjoyment.  It's by Edgar Allen Poe, since it is the time for Halloween; This is one of my favorites:
Annabel Lee
It was many and many a year ago,
In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of Annabel Lee;
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
Than to love and be loved by me.

I was a child and she was a child,
In this kingdom by the sea;
But we loved with a love that was more than love-
I and my Annabel Lee;
With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven
Coveted her and me.

And this was the reason that, long ago,
In this kingdom by the sea,
A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling
My beautiful Annabel Lee;
So that her highborn kinsman came
And bore her away from me,
To shut her up in a sepulchre
In this kingdom by the sea.

The angels, not half so happy in heaven,
Went envying her and me-
Yes!- that was the reason (as all men know,
In this kingdom by the sea)
That the wind came out of the cloud by night,
Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.

But our love it 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 Annabel Lee.

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 Annabel Lee;
And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
Of my darling- my darling- my life and my bride,
In the sepulchre there by the sea,
In her tomb by the side of the sea.
Let me know your thoughts, ideas, feelings, impressions. Let's have a great discussion...pick a line, pick an image, pick a sentence.

I've you missed the other Virtual Poetry Circles, check them out here. It's never too late to join the discussion.

7 comments:

Valerie said...

I like the line, "but we loved with a love that was more than love"

I think it's a very good way to describe a great love that cannot be measured.

Marie Cloutier said...

I've always loved the musicality of this poem- it was one of the first that I memorized when I was younger (in late middle school) andd I still love it. It's a little creepy, as is most of Poe, being about obsessive love, and the repetition of sounds and pounding meter has a hypnotic effect, too!

Anna said...

As I was reading it, I was looking for the words to describe it, and Marie hit the nail on the head. It's very musical.

I haven't read much Poe, and I'll have to revisit this one for a closer reading down the road.

--Anna
Diary of an Eccentric

Serena said...

I like how presumptuous Poe is in this poem: "And this maiden she lived with no other thought
Than to love and be loved by me."

Really, she was just waiting around with nothing better to do than be loved by Poe! Amazing. :)

I like the musical quality of this as well, and it reminds me of those Greek plays where the gods are jealous of the mortals. It has that ancient feel to it, and I wonder what Poe is attempting to say about those plays.

Elizabeth said...

Based on what I've been reading of Poe, I'm discovering that I really enjoy his poetry, like this one, that seems to be designed to be read aloud. I love the meter of this poem - as Marie said, I find it hypnotic. I'm generally not a fan of rhyming poetry, but I make exception for poems like this.

Jeanne said...

Serena, the "no other thought/ but to love and be loved by me" lines have always made me think of the Lady of Shalott, especially since Annabel Lee also ends up in a sepulchre.

Serena said...

great observation Jeanne