Edgar Allan Poe is one of the most famous Romantic poets. His work often focused on dark aspects of the human experience, such as death and loss. His work could be called gothic, often writing pieces with elements of terror and melodrama.
The dark themes in his work reflect his own life, in which he struggled with gambling, alcohol, and the death and loss of people close to him, such as his wife and cousin, Virginia Clemm, who died from tuberculosis. "Annabel Lee" is one of his most famous poems and the subject is the grief resulting from the death of a beautiful woman.
The dark themes in his work reflect his own life, in which he struggled with gambling, alcohol, and the death and loss of people close to him, such as his wife and cousin, Virginia Clemm, who died from tuberculosis. "Annabel Lee" is one of his most famous poems and the subject is the grief resulting from the death of a beautiful woman.
Annabel Lee
BY EDGAR ALLAN POE
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 wingèd 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 kinsmen 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 her sepulchre there by the sea--
In her tomb by the sounding sea.
BY EDGAR ALLAN POE
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 wingèd 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 kinsmen 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 her sepulchre there by the sea--
In her tomb by the sounding sea.
The modern-day American band, The Decemberists, are an indie folk rock band from Portland, Oregon. The frontman is Colin Meloy, the singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Their songs often have a historical tone to them. Their song "We Both Go Down Together," from the album Picaresque (2005), tells the tale of a star-crossed couple who jump to their deaths over the White Cliffs of Dover. Like Poe's famous poem, "Annabel Lee," it showcases many elements of Romanticism.
"We Both Go Down Together"
Lyrics
Here on these cliffs of Dover
So high you can't see over
And while your head is spinning
Hold tight, it's just beginning
You come from parents' wanton
A childhood rough and rotten
I come from wealth and beauty
Untouched by work or duty
And oh, my love, my love
And oh, my love, my love
We both go down together
I found you, a tattooed tramp
A dirty daugher from the labour camps
I laid you down on the grass of a clearing
You wept but your soul was willing
And oh, my love, my love
And oh, my love, my love
We both go down together
And my parents will never consent to this love
But I hold your hand
Meet me on my vast veranda
My sweet, untouched Miranda
And while the seagulls are crying
We fall but our souls are flying
And oh, my love, my love
And oh, my love, my love
And oh, my love, oh my love
And oh, my love, my love
We both go down together
Lyrics
Here on these cliffs of Dover
So high you can't see over
And while your head is spinning
Hold tight, it's just beginning
You come from parents' wanton
A childhood rough and rotten
I come from wealth and beauty
Untouched by work or duty
And oh, my love, my love
And oh, my love, my love
We both go down together
I found you, a tattooed tramp
A dirty daugher from the labour camps
I laid you down on the grass of a clearing
You wept but your soul was willing
And oh, my love, my love
And oh, my love, my love
We both go down together
And my parents will never consent to this love
But I hold your hand
Meet me on my vast veranda
My sweet, untouched Miranda
And while the seagulls are crying
We fall but our souls are flying
And oh, my love, my love
And oh, my love, my love
And oh, my love, oh my love
And oh, my love, my love
We both go down together
Both works revel in an element of melodrama to heighten the emotional impact of the work. Poe's subject is the beautiful Annabel Lee, a girl-child who "lived with no other thought" than to love and be loved by the narrator of the poem. Annabel Lee is a so-called pure and innocent, virgin bride.
Typically, people can accept the loss of older people and/or people of so-called low morals. Psychologically, we may tell ourselves that they lived a long life, or that they somehow deserved to die, respectively. But when a child, someone who is perceived as innocent, dies, it is a tragedy that hits people hard. Annabel Lee's innocence is exaggerated so that her death becomes even more tragic and unfair. Miranda in "We Both Go Down Together" is also a virgin child archetype. Although she is described as "a tattooed tramp" with a rough childhood, she is also described as "sweet" and "untouched." The narrator describes how he "laid her down in the grass of a clearing" and she "wept, but her soul was willing." This is referring to the loss of her virginity, and also serves to highlight her innocence because she wept during the act.
Both works also refer to Nature, which is typical of many Romantic works. Specifically, both works utilize the setting of the ocean. Poe repeats the phrase "kingdom by the sea" multiple times. The narrator mentions that "all the night-tide" he lays down next to her tomb "by the sounding sea." Similarly, in The Decemberists' song, the setting is by the ocean. The cliffs of Dover refer to the famous white cliffs of the coastline overlooking the Strait of Dover, which separates England from France. The lovers meet on the cliffs, hold hands, and "while the seagulls are crying" they fall but their "souls are flying." The ocean evokes powerful emotions from us. It can bring us a sense of calm and peace or it can cause havoc and death. It is also commonly associated with romance and love. In these two works, the ocean is used due to the powerful emotional responses the sea can invoke in us.
The most obvious similarity between these works is the focus on death. In Poe's poem Annabel Lee is killed by a cold wind, while in the Decemberists' song, the lovers choose to commit suicide so that they can be together. Both works mention that the souls of the lovers will be together after death. In Poe's poem, he mentions "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." In the song, it is the line "We fall but our souls are flying." Both works allude to the romantic notion that love survives death, and that even after death, couples can be together.
Typically, people can accept the loss of older people and/or people of so-called low morals. Psychologically, we may tell ourselves that they lived a long life, or that they somehow deserved to die, respectively. But when a child, someone who is perceived as innocent, dies, it is a tragedy that hits people hard. Annabel Lee's innocence is exaggerated so that her death becomes even more tragic and unfair. Miranda in "We Both Go Down Together" is also a virgin child archetype. Although she is described as "a tattooed tramp" with a rough childhood, she is also described as "sweet" and "untouched." The narrator describes how he "laid her down in the grass of a clearing" and she "wept, but her soul was willing." This is referring to the loss of her virginity, and also serves to highlight her innocence because she wept during the act.
Both works also refer to Nature, which is typical of many Romantic works. Specifically, both works utilize the setting of the ocean. Poe repeats the phrase "kingdom by the sea" multiple times. The narrator mentions that "all the night-tide" he lays down next to her tomb "by the sounding sea." Similarly, in The Decemberists' song, the setting is by the ocean. The cliffs of Dover refer to the famous white cliffs of the coastline overlooking the Strait of Dover, which separates England from France. The lovers meet on the cliffs, hold hands, and "while the seagulls are crying" they fall but their "souls are flying." The ocean evokes powerful emotions from us. It can bring us a sense of calm and peace or it can cause havoc and death. It is also commonly associated with romance and love. In these two works, the ocean is used due to the powerful emotional responses the sea can invoke in us.
The most obvious similarity between these works is the focus on death. In Poe's poem Annabel Lee is killed by a cold wind, while in the Decemberists' song, the lovers choose to commit suicide so that they can be together. Both works mention that the souls of the lovers will be together after death. In Poe's poem, he mentions "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." In the song, it is the line "We fall but our souls are flying." Both works allude to the romantic notion that love survives death, and that even after death, couples can be together.