Few works of poetry resonate as deeply as Edgar Allan Poe’s Annabel Lee. Written in 1849, this haunting and lyrical piece stands as a testament to Poe’s unmatched ability to weave beauty and despair into a single, unforgettable tapestry.
The poem tells the tragic tale of a timeless love between the narrator and Annabel Lee, a love so profound that it incites the envy of angels.
Set against the backdrop of a mysterious and almost otherworldly sea, the verses blend themes of love, loss, and devotion with the gothic elements that have come to define Poe’s legacy.
The poem encapsulates Poe’s signature fascination with eternal love and the fragility of life, making it a poignant exploration of human emotion. As we move forward, we’ll unravel the layers of this masterpiece, examining its imagery, structure, and enduring appeal.
Table of Contents
“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 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 sounding sea.
Summary
Annabel Lee is Edgar Allan Poe’s final complete poem, first published in 1849 after his death. The poem narrates a tale of love so profound and pure that it transcends earthly bounds.
The speaker recalls a “kingdom by the sea,” where his idealized young romance with Annabel Lee flourished. Their love, described as extraordinary, was so strong that even angels in Heaven envied it. This jealousy, as the narrator believes, caused a supernatural wind to chill and kill Annabel Lee.
Despite her death, the speaker’s passion remains undeterred. He dreams of her when the moon beams and sees her eyes in the rising stars.
Ultimately, the poem concludes with the speaker lying beside her tomb night after night, suggesting that his devotion persists even in the face of death.
Themes in Annabel Lee
1. Love’s Eternal Power
The poem’s defining theme is the unyielding strength of love. The speaker portrays his bond with Annabel Lee as transcending time, space, and even mortality.
This love is depicted as idealistic and almost sacred, capable of defying the forces of Heaven and Hell. Despite her death, the speaker insists that their souls remain linked, emphasizing the enduring nature of their affection.
2. Death and Grief
Edgar Allan Poe frequently explored the death of beautiful young women as the subject of his works, and Annabel Lee is no exception. Annabel’s sudden demise plunges the speaker into a world of grief.
Through vivid imagery and repetition of her name, Poe captures his anguish and inability to move on. The speaker’s deep mourning becomes a poignant exploration of grief’s consuming and isolating nature.
3. Supernatural Jealousy
The speaker blames higher, celestial forces for Annabel Lee’s death, showcasing an externalized and supernatural explanation for tragedy.
The angels’ envy of the lovers—not portrayed as benevolent but malicious—highlights a destabilized spiritual world where divine beings are flawed.
4. Obsession and Madness
While the poem depicts love in an elevated, almost ethereal light, it also suggests themes of emotional obsession. The speaker’s nightly visits to the tomb and his fixation on Annabel Lee’s memory hint at an unbalanced, obsessive attachment. This duality points to the darker, consuming aspects of love and grief.
Structure and Form
The poem is written in six stanzas of varying lengths and loosely follows the traditional ballad form. However, Poe deviates from strict balladry to reinforce the speaker’s emotional volatility.
Here’s an overview of the structure:
- Stanza Length: Stanzas range from six to eight lines, creating a rhythm that mirrors the ebb and flow of ocean waves, tying the poem to its maritime setting.
- Rhyme Scheme: The rhyme scheme is both irregular and repetitive (e.g., “sea,” “Lee,” “me”), emphasizing the speaker’s obsessive fixation on Annabel Lee.
- Meter: While dominated by anapestic and iambic feet, the meter varies, enhancing a sense of unpredictability and emotional turbulence.
Literary Devices
1. Alliteration
Poe employs alliteration to create a lyrical, almost hypnotic quality.
For example:
- “We loved with a love that was more than love” (Line 9).
- The repetition of consonants (“l” in particular) creates a melodic and mournful tone, reinforcing themes of longing and idealized love.
2. Repetition
Repetition is a key device in the poem, especially with the name “Annabel Lee.” Her name appears frequently, reflecting the speaker’s obsessive memory and inability to detach himself from her:
- “My beautiful Annabel Lee” acts as both a refrain and an emotional anchor.
3. Imagery
The poem is infused with vivid imagery that evokes both ethereal beauty and stark tragedy:
- Romantic imagery of the “kingdom by the sea” and celestial references emphasize the purity and grandeur of their love.
- Darker visuals, such as the chilling wind and tomb by the sea, create a sense of loss and finality.
4. Symbolism
- The Sea: Represents constancy and eternity, much like the speaker’s undying love. Yet, it is also vast, isolating, and melancholy, symbolizing the speaker’s desolation.
- Moon and Stars: Serve as symbols of Annabel Lee’s lingering presence, evoking both her beauty and the speaker’s obsession.
- Angels: These typically positive figures are recast as envious and vengeful, challenging traditional religious symbolism.
5. Personification
- The angels and nature itself (e.g., the wind) are personified as active agents in Annabel Lee’s death, amplifying the speaker’s emotional state and shifting blame to external forces.
Stanza-by-Stanza Analysis
Stanza 1
The poem opens in a nostalgic tone, with the speaker recounting a story that happened “many and many a year ago.” He sets the stage in a “kingdom by the sea” and introduces Annabel Lee, the central figure of his narrative.
The speaker describes her as a maiden who lived solely to love and be loved by him. This idyllic and pure love is framed in an almost fairy-tale-like atmosphere, evoking innocence and deep emotional intimacy.
Literary Devices
- Imagery: The “kingdom by the sea” creates a dreamy and magical setting that feels timeless and mythical. It transports the reader to a distant, idealized world.
- Repetition: The phrases “by the sea” and “Annabel Lee” are repeated, establishing a musical and rhythmic quality while reinforcing the setting and the speaker’s fixation on Annabel Lee.
- Alliteration: Words like “many and many” and “love that was more than love” create a musical cadence that enhances the lyrical tone.
- Tone: The stanza sets a nostalgic and romantic tone, full of admiration and longing.
Stanza 2
The speaker establishes that both he and Annabel Lee were young when their love blossomed. However, their bond was profound and transcended ordinary emotions.
He suggests that this love was so exceptional and intense that even the angels in heaven envied it.
Literary Devices
- Hyperbole: The love is described as “more than love,” exaggerating its strength and suggesting it surpasses conventional human experience.
- Symbolism: The seraphs (angels) symbolize celestial beings who paradoxically become envious, challenging the idea of divine perfection.
- Contrast: The purity of the young lovers’ relationship contrasts with the flawed, envious nature of heavenly beings.
- Personification: The angels are not portrayed as passive entities but as active participants experiencing human emotions like envy.
Stanza 3
The narrative takes a tragic turn as the speaker reveals that Annabel Lee’s life was cut short. A “wind blew out of a cloud,” chilling her and leading to her death. This event is attributed to the jealousy of the angels, who could not bear the lovers’ happiness.
Literary Devices
- Pathetic Fallacy: Nature mirrors the emotional state of the narrative; the cold wind symbolizes death and the intrusion of external forces.
- Allusion: The “highborn kinsmen” may refer to Annabel Lee’s family or divine forces, symbolizing the societal or supernatural interference that separates the lovers.
- Repetition: The refrain “in this kingdom by the sea” serves as a reminder of the setting, anchoring the narrative in its mythical and melancholic atmosphere.
Stanza 4
The speaker doubles down on the assertion that Annabel Lee’s death was caused by the jealousy of supernatural forces. His tone becomes defiant, as he insists on the truth of his statement, emphasizing that their love was powerful enough to provoke such divine envy.
Literary Devices
- Repetition and Parallelism: The lines echo earlier refrains, reinforcing the speaker’s obsessive focus on his love and grief.
- Personification: The angels are described as “not half so happy in Heaven,” making their envy palpable.
- Irony: Angels, who are normally considered benevolent, are cast in a negative light, injecting a sense of moral ambiguity.
Stanza 5
The speaker proclaims that no force, whether earthly or supernatural, can sever the connection between his soul and Annabel Lee’s.
He emphasizes the eternal and unbroken nature of their love, rejecting the finality of death.
Literary Devices
- Symbolism: Phrases like “nor the demons down under the sea” depict love as transcending the boundaries between life, death, and the afterlife.
- Imagery: The celestial and marine elements symbolize the extremes of existence, emphasizing the unyielding bond between the lovers.
- Rhyme: The recurring rhyming of “me,” “Lee,” and “sea” creates a hypnotic effect, mirroring the unrelenting focus of the speaker’s thoughts.
Stanza 6
Narrative and Emotional Content
The poem concludes on a haunting note, as the speaker describes how he dreams of Annabel Lee every night.
He feels her presence in the moon and stars and lies beside her tomb by the sea. This imagery depicts the speaker’s consuming grief and obsessive devotion.
Literary Devices
- Imagery: Sensory descriptions of the moon beaming and stars sparkling evoke Annabel Lee’s presence and the speaker’s nightly rituals.
- Tone: The tone becomes morbid and gothic, as the speaker lying beside her in the tomb blurs the line between romantic devotion and macabre fixation.
- Allusion: The sea becomes a constant companion, symbolizing the vast and eternal nature of his longing.
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