100 Best Edgar Allan Poe Quotes The Raven

Edgar Allan Poe Quotes The Raven

“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 mortals 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 marveled 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 blest with seeing bird above his chamber door —

Bird or beast upon the sculptured bust above his chamber door,

With such name as "Nevermore.” 

― Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven

“Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before.” 

― Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven

“Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore.” 

― Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven

“Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore...” 

― Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven

“Leave my loneliness unbroken” 

― Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven

“Then, methought, the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censer

Swung by Seraphim whose footfalls 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!"

Quothe the Raven, "Nevermore.” 

― Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven

“Here I opened wide the door;— Darkness there, and nothing more.” 

― Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven

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

Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortals 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” 

― Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven

“Other friends have flown before — On the morrow he will leave me, as my hopes have flown before.” Quoth the raven, “Nevermore.” 

― Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven

“Darkness there, and nothing more.” 

― Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven

“Tell me truly, I implore-- Is there-- is there balm in Gilead?--tell me--tell me, I implore!” 

― Edgar Allen Poe, The Raven

“Actually, I do have doubts, all the time. Any thinking person does. There are so many sides to every question.” 

― Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven

“And the raven quote, nevermore.” 

― Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven

“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.” 

― Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven

“Lenore — For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore — Nameless” 

― Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven

“Leave my loneliness unbroken!—quit the bust above my door!” 

― Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven

Quoth the raven nevermore.” 

― Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven

“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 ” 

― Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven

“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.” 

― Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven

“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.” 

― Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven

“And then there are times, Mr. Osgood, when one must just let go.” His gaze softened. “I believe,” he said after a moment, “that those are the happiest of times.” 

― Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven

“Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,” 

― Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven

“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 further 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.” 

― Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven

“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.” 

― Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven

“Y, entonces, abrí la puerta de par en par, y ¿qué es lo que vi? ¡Las tinieblas y nada más!” 

― Edgar Allan Poe, El cuervo

“The giant will succumbed to a power more stern.” 

― Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven

“The secret of a poem, no less than a jest's prosperity, lies in the ear of him that hears it.” 

― Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven

“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.” 

― Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven

Edgar Allan Poe Quotes The Raven

“Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe and forget this lost Lenore!"

Quoth the raven, "Nevermore.” 

― Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven

“Tis some visiter entreating entrance at my chamber door ” 

― Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven

“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” 

― Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven

“It may be that those who care for poetry lost little by his death. Fluent in prose, he never wrote verse for the sake of making a poem. When a refrain of image haunted him, the lyric that resulted was the inspiration, as he himself said, of a passion, not of a purpose.” 

― Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven

“I saw thee once - only once - years ago:

I must not say how many - but not many.

It was a July midnight; and from out

A full-orbed moon, that, like thine own soul, soaring,

Sought a precipitate pathway up through heaven,

There fell a silvery-silken veil of light,

With quietude, and sultriness, and slumber,

Upon the upturn'd faces of a thousand

Roses that grew in an enchanted garden,

Where no wind dared stir, unless on tiptoe -

Fell on the upturn'd faces of these roses

That gave out, in return for the love-light,

Their odorous souls in an ecstatic death -

Fell on the upturn'd faces of these roses

That smiled and died in the parterre, enchanted

By thee, and by the poetry of thy presence.

Clad all in white, upon a violet bank

I saw thee half reclining; while the moon

Fell upon the upturn'd faces of the roses,

And on thine own, upturn'd - alas, in sorrow!

Edgar Allan Poe Quotes The Raven

Was it not Fate, that, on this July midnight -

Was it not Fate, (whose name is also Sorrow,)

That bade me pause before that garden-gate,

To breathe the incense of those slumbering roses?

No footsteps stirred: the hated world all slept,

Save only thee and me. (Oh, Heaven! - oh, G**!

How my heart beats in coupling those two words!)

Save only thee and me. I paused - I looked -

And in an instant all things disappeared.

(Ah, bear in mind the garden was enchanted!)

The pearly lustre of the moon went out:

The mossy banks and the meandering paths,

The happy flowers and the repining trees,

Were seen no more: the very roses' odors

Died in the arms of the adoring airs.

All - all expired save thee - save less than thou:

Save only divine light in thine eyes -

Save but the soul in thine uplifted eyes.

I saw but them - they were the world to me.

I saw but them - saw only them for hours -

Saw only them until the moon went down.

What wild heart-histories seemed to lie enwritten

Upon those crystalline, celestial spheres!

How dark a wo! yet how sublime a hope!

How silently serene a sea of pride!

How daring an ambition! yet how deep -

How fathomless a capacity for love!

But now, at length, dear Dian sank from sight,

Into a western couch of thunder-cloud;

And thou, a ghost, amid the entombing trees

Didst glide away. Only thine eyes remained.

They would not go - they never yet have gone.

Lighting my lonely pathway home that night,

They have not left me (as my hopes have) since.

They follow me - they lead me through the years.

They are my ministers - yet I their slave.

Their office is to illumine and enkindle -

My duty, to be saved by their bright fire,

And purified in their electric fire,

And sanctified in their elysian fire.

They fill my soul with Beauty (which is Hope,)

And are far up in Heaven - the stars I kneel to

In the sad, silent watches of my night;

While even in the meridian glare of day

I see them still - two sweetly scintillant

Venuses, unextinguished by the sun!” 

― Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven and Other Poems

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