Edgar Allan Poe’s

The Raven
For English Learners

by

Jakub Marian
First Edition, February 2015

The PDF version has no associated ISBN

 Author and Publisher:
Jakub Marian, Sewanstraße 217, 10319, Berlin, Germany

Cover picture of a stylized bird by © Adrian Hillman

licensed from fotolia.com. Overall front cover
design © Jakub Marian.
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http://jakubmarian.com/pronunciation/

or my book about the most common grammatical mistakes:

http://jakubmarian.com/english-mistakes/

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 Table of Contents

Foreword ........................................................................................................... 6
Notes on pronunciation ................................................................................ 7
Stanza I: Once upon a midnight dreary ................................................. 10
Stanza II: Ah, distinctly I remember ....................................................... 16
Stanza III: And the silken, sad, uncertain rustling ............................... 22
Stanza IV: Presently my soul grew stronger ......................................... 26
Stanza V: Deep into that darkness peering ........................................... 31
Stanza VI: Back into the chamber turning ............................................ 36
Stanza VII: Open here I flung the shutter ............................................. 40
Stanza VIII: Then this ebony bird ........................................................... 45
Stanza IX: Much I marvelled this ungainly fowl ................................. 50
Stanza X: But the raven, sitting lonely .................................................... 55
Stanza XI: Startled at the stillness broken ............................................. 59
Stanza XII: But the Raven still beguiling ............................................... 64
Stanza XIII: This I sat engaged in guessing ........................................... 69
Stanza XIV: Then, methought, the air grew denser ........................... 74
Stanza XV: Prophet, said I, thing of evil ................................................. 79
Stanza XVI: Prophet, said I, thing of evil (2) ......................................... 84
Stanza XVII: Be that word our sign of parting ..................................... 88
Stanza XVIII: And the Raven, never flitting .......................................... 92
The Raven ....................................................................................................... 96
Final words ................................................................................................... 102
Alphabetical Index ..................................................................................... 103
 Foreword

T he Raven is undoubtedly one of the best pieces of literature

ever written. It is also, in a certain way, one of the best intro-
ductory works for an English learner interested in English poetry,
thanks to its narrative character that makes it relatively easy to un-
derstand. Nonetheless, the poem contains hundreds of words and
grammatical constructions most non-native speakers are not familiar
with.

In this book, I try to explain everything in the poem that an interme -

diate or advanced English learner could find hard to understand, be
it vocabulary, pronunciation, spelling, or grammar. Sometimes,
when the structure of the poem is hard to follow, I also interpret
what is being said, but otherwise I abstain from spoon-feeding the
poem to the reader—there is nothing more dull than reading about a
poem instead of reading the poem itself.

Thanks to the extensive notes on grammar and pronunciation, this

book should be understood as a tool for expanding one’s knowledge
of English in general through the poem, not only as a tool for under-
standing this particular poem.

Each chapter begins with a beautiful illustration by Gustave Doré,

who illustrated the whole poem in 1883. For space reasons, some of
the illustrations were left out (only one per chapter was included).
It should also be noted that no prior knowledge of literary theory is
required to read the book. All theoretical notions used in the book
are explained within the text.

Notes on pronunciation

S ome aspects of English pronunciation (such as stress placement

on monosyllabic words) are rather subjective. For that reason, I
have chosen two readings of the poem by distinguished voice actors
and based the phonetic transcription on their recordings. The Amer-
ican English line is based on a reading by James Earl Jones (who
voiced Darth Vader in the Star Wars film series), and the British Eng-
lish line is based on a reading by Sir Christopher Lee (famous,
among others, for his role of Saruman in the Lord of the Rings film
trilogy).

All lines in the poem are transcribed using the International Phonetic
Alphabet (IPA), separately for American English (marked by US) and
British English (marked by UK). IPA is the standard phonetic alphabet
used in modern dictionaries and textbooks, and it is definitely worth
learning even if you don’t intend to use it for this book in particular.

For example, the phonetic transcription of the first half of the first
line reads:

USˈwʌns əˈpɔːn ə ˈmɪdnaɪt ˈdrɪri

UK ˈwʌns əˈpɒn ə ˈmɪdnaɪt ˈdrɪəri

The little apostrophe signifies stress placement; the syllable that fol-
lows it is pronounced louder. Stress placement is a very important
concept in poetry. It functions as a glue that rhythmically binds dif-
ferent parts of the poem together. Polysyllabic words (words consist-
ing of several syllables) possess exactly one primary stress. Some-
times they also possess a secondary stress, which is then denoted by
a little comma.
Monosyllabic (one-syllable) words, on the other hand, are never
stressed as such, but they may be stressed when rhythmic patterns or
their position in the sentence call for it.

Most IPA symbols for consonants should be quite clear without prior
instruction, as they represent the same sounds as they do in English
and most other European languages. Let us take a look at those that
may cause problems.

j – pronounced like “y” in you, yellow, and buy.

ŋ – sing, going, thing; pronounced like N, but with the back of
the tongue instead (with the same part of the tongue as the
letter “g” in “go”).
θ – thing, thought, both; pronounced like S, but with your
tongue (instead of your lower teeth) touching your upper
teeth.
ʃ – shy, shall, fish.
w – wow, well, wide.
z – zinc, position, amaze.
ʒ – pleasure, vision, massage; present mostly in the /dʒ/ sound in
English, as in just, gene, jealous.

Note that the standard IPA symbol for the English R is /ɹ/ (whereas
/r/ represents the rolled R, as in Spanish or Italian). However, we will
denote the English R by /r/, which is a common convention in Eng-
lish dictionaries.

Vowels are somewhat more complicated:

ə – the “uh” sound of the indefinite article (as in “a book”).

ɑː – father, bra, palm; the closest sound to the sound of the letter
A in most European languages.
ʌ – but, come, some; a short vowel somewhere between /ə/
and /ɑ/.
a – present only in the diphthongs /aɪ/ (price, ride) and /aʊ/
(mouth, how). It sounds somewhat “clearer” than /ɑ/.

ɛ/e – bed, men, fell; /ɛ/ is also commonly denoted by /e/ in

dictionaries, but /e/ is the standard IPA symbol for a more
 “squeaky” vowel present in the English diphthong /eɪ/ (as in
take, make). We will distinguish between the two.

æ – cat, bad, sad; a sound approximately between /a/ and /ɛ/ and
probably the most commonly mispronounced vowel by
English learners. The words but /bʌt/, bat /bæt/, and bet /bɛt/
all sound different. If you pronounce two of them the same,
I recommend listening to all three pronounced by native
speakers (most online dictionaries will allow you to listen to
recordings of words).
iː – feel, mean, see.
ɪ – pit, sit, hit; a short vowel exactly between /ə/ and /i/.
ɔː – fall, hawk, saw.
ɒ – only in British English: lot, John, God. A short vowel similar
to /ɔ/ used in British English to pronounce the letter “o”. It is
usually replaced by /ɑː/ or /ɔː/ in American English.
uː – goose, food, chew.
ʊ – full, good, woman; a short vowel similar to /u/. Words with
“oo” are often mispronounced because some of them are
pronounced with a long /uː/ (e.g. food, mood), while others
are pronounced with a short /ʊ/ (e.g. good, hood), and there
is no way to tell the difference other than remembering the
correct pronunciation.

Furthermore, there are three additional vowels arising from the pro-
nunciation of the letter R:

ɜː – only in British English: bird, heard, curd. A vowel almost

identical with a long schwa /əː/.
ɝː – the American version of /ɜː/ which sounds like a long “rr”:
brrd, hrrd, crrd. It is sometimes transcribed somewhat
inaccurately as /ɜːr/ in dictionaries.
ɚ – -er is pronounced just as /ə/ in British English (as in minister
/mɪnɪstə/). In American English, -er is pronounced as /ə/
and /r/ spoken simultaneously, and this sound is denoted /ɚ/
(e.g. /mɪnɪstɚ/). Some dictionaries again somewhat
inaccurately denote it by /ər/.
 STANZA I

Once upon a midnight

dreary...
STANZA I 11

E ach line of the poem (apart from the last line of each stanza) is
divided into two halves. While these are usually exact halves,
sometimes it was necessary to break the rhythmic structure for the
two parts to make sense.

Don’t worry about your reading experience being affected by the di-
vision; you will have the opportunity to read the whole stanza again
at the end of each chapter. Here is the first “half-line”:

Once upon a midnight1 dreary2,

US ˈwʌns əˈpɔːn3 ə ˈmɪdnaɪt ˈdrɪri

UK ˈwʌns əˈpɒn ə ˈmɪdnaɪt ˈdrɪəri

1 fairy tales traditionally begin with “once upon a time”. Poe’s poem
starts in a grimmer setting.

2 “dreary” is an adjective meaning “dark, cheerless, depressive”. Ad-

jectives in literature sometimes follow the nouns they modify to cre-
ate a more dramatic effect, e.g. “a sight yet unseen”, “a world undis -
covered”; we would more commonly say “a dreary midnight”.

3 “upon” is also often pronounced /əˈpɑːn/ in American English.

while I pondered1, weak and weary2,

US ˈwaɪl aɪ ˈpɑːndɚd, ˈwiːk ənd3 ˈwɪri2

UK ˈwaɪl aɪ ˈpɒndəd, ˈwiːk ənd3 ˈwɪəri2

1 thought deeply; was lost in thought.

2 exhausted, tired, fatigued; note the pronunciation, which differs
from that of the similar-looking word “wear” /wɛɚ/ US, /wɛə/ UK.

3 “and” has two possible pronunciations in English: the strong form

and the weak form. What we see here is the weak form /ənd/, which
ONCE UPON A MIDNIGHT DREARY... 12

is used when the word is not stressed. The strong form, used for em-
phasis, is pronounced /ænd/.

There are many words in English that have a weak form (for ex-
ample “at” /ət/, “can” /kən/, “do” /də/ or /du/, and many others). Pay
attention to the pronunciation line; whenever you see a monosyl-
labic word unexpectedly pronounced with a schwa /ə/ or with a short
vowel where you would expect a long vowel, what you see is in fact
the weak form of the word, while the strong form is used only for
emphasis. Many learners aren’t aware of the fact that the weak forms
exist, but the distinction is important in poetry.

Over many a1 quaint2 and curious3 volume4

USˈoʊvɚ ˈmɛni ə ˈkweɪnt ənd ˈkjʊriəs ˈvɑːljuːm

UK ˈəʊvə ˈmɛni ə ˈkweɪnt ənd ˈkjʊriəs ˈvɒljuːm

1 “many a + singular noun” means the same as “many + plural noun”.

This form is quite uncommon in modern English but can still be
found in formal writing.

2 unusual in a pleasing way, especially when having old-fashioned

charm.

3 out of the ordinary, bizarre; it may also refer to its archaic meaning
of artfully constructed, elaborate.

4 a formal word for a book.

of forgotten lore1—

USəf fɚˈɡɑːtn ˈlɔːr

UK əf fəˈɡɒtn ˈlɔː
STANZA I 13

1 facts, beliefs, and traditions related to a particular subject accumu-

lated over time. The word “folklore”, which may be known to you
from your mother tongue, is derived from it (it is literally “the lore
of the folk”).

While I nodded1, nearly napping2,

US ˈwaɪl aɪ ˈnɑːdɪd ˈnɪrli ˈnæpɪŋ

UK ˈwaɪl aɪ ˈnɒdɪd ˈnɪəli ˈnæpɪŋ

1 “to nod” means “to move one’s head down and up”, usually to ex-
press agreement or as a form of greeting. Somewhat figuratively, it is
used also in connection with the movement of one’s head when a
person falls asleep in a sitting position.

2 a nap is a short sleep, usually during the day.

Here we see a nice example of alliteration. Alliteration is a literary
device defined as the occurrence of the same sound at the beginning
of several words in a row or close to each other; the repeated letter
here is N: While I nodded, nearly napping... Alliteration is used to
emphasize the rhythmic structure of the verse, and we will see it
many times throughout the poem—in fact, we have already seen it in
“while I pondered, weak and weary”.

suddenly there came a tapping1,

US ˈsʌdənli ðɛɚ keɪm ə ˈtæpɪŋ

UK ˈsʌdənli ðɛə keɪm ə ˈtæpɪŋ

1 “to tap” means “to hit something lightly”, as when you drum your
fingers on a table.
ONCE UPON A MIDNIGHT DREARY... 14

As of some one1 gently rapping2,

US+UK ˈæz əv ˈsʌmwʌn ˈdʒɛntli ˈræpɪŋ

1 “someone” is spelled as a single word in modern English.

2 “to rap” means “to hit an object several times making noise”. In this
context, it refers to knocking.

rapping at my chamber1 door.

US ˈræpɪŋ ət maɪ ˈtʃeɪmbɚ ˈdɔːr

UK ˈræpɪŋ ət maɪ ˈtʃeɪmbə ˈdɔː

1 “chamber” is used to refer to a bedroom or a private room in older

literature.

“’Tis1 some visiter2,” I muttered3,

USˈtɪz ˈsʌm ˈvɪzɪtɚ aɪ ˈmʌtɚd

UK ˈtɪz ˈsʌm ˈvɪzɪtə aɪ ˈmʌtəd

1 a literary expression meaning “it is”.

2 an archaic spelling of “visitor”; sometimes rendered as “visitor” in
newer editions.

3 muttering is saying something under one’s breath, that is, with lips
partly closed and in a quiet voice, so that only the speaker himself or
herself and the people nearby can understand, usually because the
statement being said expresses some form of criticism or anger.
STANZA I 15

“tapping at my chamber door—

US ˈtæpɪŋ ət maɪ ˈtʃeɪmbɚ ˈdɔːr

UK ˈtæpɪŋ ət maɪ ˈtʃeɪmbə ˈdɔː

Only this and nothing more1.”

USˈoʊnli ˈðɪs ənd ˈnʌθɪŋ mɔːr

UK ˈəʊnli ˈðɪs ənd ˈnʌθɪŋ mɔː

1 notice the recurring theme of the poem—the word “more” that will
eventually turn into the Raven’s “Nevermore.”

In the last two lines, the speaker is trying to convince himself that the
source of tapping is merely a visitor (and nothing more). We will
later see what he is secretly hoping the tapping could mean.

***
Now that you have finished reading about the first stanza, read it
again as a whole to remember all that you have learned:

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 visiter,” I muttered, “tapping at my chamber door—
Only this and nothing more.”
 STANZA II

Ah, distinctly I remember...

STANZA II 17

Ah, distinctly1 I remember

US ˈɑː dɪˈstɪŋktli aɪ rɪˈmɛmbɚ

UK ˈɑː dɪˈstɪŋktli aɪ rɪˈmɛmbə

1 clearly, well.

it was in the bleak1 December;

US ɪt wəz2 ɪn ðə ˈbliːk dɪˈsɛmbɚ

UK ɪt wəz2 ɪn ðə ˈbliːk dɪˈsɛmbə

1 cold, unpleasant, miserable, cheerless.

2 “was” is another example of a word that has two possible pronunci-
ations: the weak form used here and the strong form used for em-
phasis, which would be /wʌz/ in the US and /wɒz/ in the UK. From
now on, we will not explicitly direct your attention to such words;
just pay attention to the pronunciation lines.

And each separate dying ember1

US ənd iːtʃ ˈsɛprət ˈdaɪɪŋ ˈɛmbɚ

UK ənd iːtʃ ˈsɛprət ˈdaɪɪŋ ˈɛmbə

1 an ember is a glowing piece of wood or coal that remains hot after

the fire has died. “Dying” of the embers refers to the fire going out.

wrought1 its ghost2 upon the floor.

US ˈrɔːt ɪts ˈɡoʊst əˈpɔːn ðə ˈflɔːr

AH, DISTINCTLY I REMEMBER... 18

UK ˈrɔːt ɪts ˈɡəʊst əˈpɒn ðə ˈflɔːr

1 “wrought” is an archaic past tense of “work”; “work” is used here in

the sense of “produce something as a result of an effort”.

Note that “wrought” is not the past tense of “wreak”, which it is often
mistakenly believed to be because of the phrase “wreak havoc”
(meaning “cause chaos”). Historically, it was common to say “work
havoc” and “wrought havoc”, but now the only common present
tense form is “wreak havoc”, even though both “wreaked havoc” and
“wrought havoc” are common in the past tense.

2 embers usually leave ash and smoke marks around them, and Poe
refers to these poetically as “ghosts” of the dying embers.

This line beautifully illustrates another common literary device used

in the poem: assonance. Assonance is characterized by the same vowel
sound repeated in several adjacent words: /ˈrɔːt ɪts ˈɡoʊst əˈpɔːn ðə
ˈflɔːr/.

Eagerly1 I wished the morrow2;—

US ˈiːɡɚli aɪ ˈwɪʃt ðə ˈmɔːroʊ2

UK ˈiːɡəli aɪ ˈwɪʃt ðə ˈmɒrəʊ

1 excitedly, hardly able to wait any longer.

2 an archaic word for the next day, sometimes also used synonym-
ously with “morning”. It is often pronounced also /mɑːroʊ/ in Amer-
ican English.

vainly1 I had sought2 to borrow

US ˈveɪnli aɪ həd ˈsɔːt tə ˈbɔːroʊ3

STANZA II 19

UK ˈveɪnli aɪ həd ˈsɔːt tə ˈbɒrəʊ

1 without success.
2 the past tense and past participle of seek, here used in the sense “try
to”; the speaker tried to borrow something (which we will see in the
next line) without success.

3 also /ˈbɑːroʊ/ in American English.

From my books surcease1 of sorrow2—

USfrəm maɪ ˈbʊks sɝːˈsiːs əf ˈsɔːroʊ2

UK frəm maɪ ˈbʊks sɜːˈsiːs əf ˈsɒrəʊ

1 a cessation, an end; an archaic noun derived from the verb “cease”.

2 a feeling of great sadness, grief; also pronounced /ˈsɑːroʊ/ in Amer-
ican English.

In the last two lines, the speaker expresses that he tried to end his
sorrow through reading his books, but it was all in vain.

sorrow for the lost Lenore—

USˈsɔːroʊ ˈfɔːr ðə ˈlɔːst1 ləˈnɔːr

UK ˈsɒrəʊ ˈfɔː ðə ˈlɒst ləˈnɔː

1 also pronounced /lɑːst/ in American English.

We find out the sorrow was for a woman named Lenore. It is pos -
sible that Lenore represents Poe’s wife Virginia, who had been
severely ill for several years before the poem was published and died
two years afterwards.
AH, DISTINCTLY I REMEMBER... 20

Did you also notice the recurring assonance of this stanza? /ˈsɔːroʊ
ˈfɔːr ðə ˈlɔːst ləˈnɔːr/

For the rare1 and radiant2 maiden3

US fɔːr ðə ˈrɛr ənd ˈreɪdiənt ˈmeɪdn

UK fɔː ðə ˈrɛə4 ənd ˈreɪdiənt ˈmeɪdn

1 uncommon; unusual.
2 showing great happiness; “radiating” happiness.
3 an archaic expression for an unmarried young woman.
4 if a word in British English ends in -r, the “r” is usually pronounced
just as /ə/. However, when the word that follows begins with a vowel,
the “r” is usually pronounced at the beginning of the next word, so
“rare and” would, in normal speech, be pronounced as /ˈrɛərənd/.
When such words are spoken at a slower pace, such as in poetry,
the /r/ is often missing altogether.

whom the angels name Lenore—

UShuːm ði ˈeɪndʒlz ˈneɪm ləˈnɔːr

UK huːm ði ˈeɪndʒlz ˈneɪm ləˈnɔː

It is the angels who name her Lenore because Lenore is among the
angels.

Nameless here for evermore1.

US ˈneɪmləs ˈhir fəˌrɛvɚˈmɔːr

UK ˈneɪmləs ˈhɪə fəˌrɛvəˈmɔː
STANZA II 21

1 en emphatic form of “forever”; the more usual spelling in modern

American English is “forevermore”, but it is still spelled “for ever-
more” in most other English varieties.

Lenore’s name is no longer spoken in the earthly world because she

is no longer among the living... for evermore.

***

Now, read the whole stanza again:

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.
 STANZA III

And the silken, sad,

uncertain rustling...
STANZA III 23

And the silken1, sad, uncertain rustling2

US ˈænd ðə ˈsɪlkən ˈsæd ʌnˈsɝːtn ˈrʌslɪŋ2

UK ˈænd ðə ˈsɪlkən ˈsæd ʌnˈsɜːtn ˈrʌslɪŋ2

1 smooth, gentle.
2 the soft sound light things moving together make, such as leaves in
the wind or sheets of paper sliding over each other. Notice that the
“t” in “rustle” is silent.

Note the skilfully crafted alliteration of “silken, sad, uncertain, rust-

ling” which itself, when read out loud, sounds like rustling.

of each purple curtain1

US əv iːtʃ ˈpɝːpl ˈkɝːtn

UK əv iːtʃ ˈpɜːpl ˈkɜːtn

1 cloth used to cover windows.

Thrilled1 me—filled me with fantastic terrors2

US ˈθrɪld mi—ˈfɪld mi wɪθ fænˈtæstɪk ˈtɛrɚz

UK ˈθrɪld mi—ˈfɪld mi wɪθ fænˈtæstɪk ˈtɛrəz

1 “to thrill” means “to suddenly strongly (usually pleasantly) excite”.

2 notice the contrast of “fantastic” expressing something positively
unusual, while “terror” is a feeling of extreme fear.
AND THE SILKEN, SAD, UNCERTAIN RUSTLING... 24

never felt before;

USˈnɛvɚ ˈfɛlt bɪˈfɔːr

UK ˈnɛvə ˈfɛlt bɪˈfɔː

So that now, to still1 the beating

US soʊ ðət ˈnaʊ tə ˈstɪl ðə ˈbiːtɪŋ

UK səʊ ðət ˈnaʊ tə ˈstɪl ðə ˈbiːtɪŋ

1 to make calm, quiet.

of my heart, I stood repeating1

US əv maɪ ˈhɑːrt aɪ ˈstʊd rɪˈpiːtɪŋ

UK əv maɪ ˈhɑːt aɪ ˈstʊd rɪˈpiːtɪŋ

1 he stood up (presumably from his chair) while repeating the fol-

lowing:

“’Tis some visiter

US tɪz səm ˈvɪzɪtɚ

UK tɪz səm ˈvɪzɪtə

entreating1 entrance2 at my chamber door—

US ɪnˈtriːtɪŋ ˈɛntrəns ət maɪ ˈtʃeɪmbɚ ˈdɔːr

UK ɪnˈtriːtɪŋ ˈɛntrəns ət maɪ ˈtʃeɪmbə ˈdɔː
STANZA III 25

1 demanding, begging, requiring.

2 entry, the act of entering a room.

Some late visiter

US ˈsʌm ˈleɪt ˈvɪzɪtɚ

UK ˈsʌm ˈleɪt ˈvɪzɪtə

entreating entrance at my chamber door;—

USɪnˈtriːtɪŋ ˈɛntrəns ət maɪ ˈtʃeɪmbɚ ˈdɔːr

UK ɪnˈtriːtɪŋ ˈɛntrəns ət maɪ ˈtʃeɪmbə ˈdɔː

This it is and nothing more.”

US ˈðɪs ɪt ˈɪz ənd ˈnʌθɪŋ ˈmɔːr

UK ˈðɪs ɪt ˈɪz ənd ˈnʌθɪŋ ˈmɔː

The speaker again tries to console himself by repeating that the

source of tapping and rustling is just a visitor.

***

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 visiter entreating entrance at my chamber door—
Some late visiter entreating entrance at my chamber door;—
This it is and nothing more.”
 STANZA IV

Presently my soul grew

stronger...
STANZA IV 27

Presently1 my soul grew stronger;

USˈprɛzntli maɪ ˈsoʊl ɡruː ˈstrɔːŋɡɚ

UK ˈprɛzntli maɪ ˈsəʊl ɡruː ˈstrɒŋɡə

1 soon thereafter; after a short period of time.

hesitating1 then no longer,

USˈhɛzɪteɪtɪŋ ˈðɛn noʊ ˈlɔːŋɡɚ

UK ˈhɛzɪteɪtɪŋ ˈðɛn nəʊ ˈlɒŋɡə

1 stopping, waiting because of a feeling of uncertainty.

“Sir,” said I1, “or Madam,

US ˈsɝː sɛd aɪ ɔːr ˈmædəm

UK ˈsɜː sɛd aɪ ɔː ˈmædəm

1 it is possible to invert the order of the subject and the verb in a sen -
tence in certain cases. The most common one is the so called locative
inversion, which is sometimes used to “paint” the scene in literary
works, e.g. “on the floor stood a lamp” instead of “there was a lamp
standing on the floor” or “a lamp stood on the floor”. What we see
here is the so called quotative inversion which is sometimes used after
a quotation in literary works (but never in spoken language).

truly1 your forgiveness I implore2;

US ˈtruːli jɔːr fɚˈɡɪvnəs aɪ ɪmˈplɔːr

UK ˈtruːli jɔː fəˈɡɪvnəs aɪ ɪmˈplɔː
PRESENTLY MY SOUL GREW STRONGER... 28

1 “truly” is an adverb used for emphasis in formal contexts. In an in-

formal context, we would usually say “really”.

2 to ask or demand in an anxious way when you need something

very much.

But the fact is1 I was napping,

US+UK bət ðə ˈfækt ɪz aɪ wəz ˈnæpɪŋ

1 “the fact is” is used to emphasize the subsequent statement. It is

usually followed by a comma or the word “that”, but not necessarily.

and so gently1 you came rapping,

US ənd soʊ ˈdʒɛntli ju keɪm ˈræpɪŋ

UK ənd səʊ ˈdʒɛntli ju keɪm ˈræpɪŋ

1 gentleness here refers to quietness of rapping; a more usual word

order would be “and you came rapping so gently”.

And so faintly1 you came tapping,

US ənd soʊ ˈfeɪntli ju keɪm ˈtæpɪŋ

UK ənd səʊ ˈfeɪntli ju keɪm ˈtæpɪŋ

1 “faintly” in this context means “in a barely perceivable manner”.

tapping at my chamber door,

US ˈtæpɪŋ ət maɪ ˈtʃeɪmbɚ ˈdɔːr

STANZA IV 29

UK ˈtæpɪŋ ət maɪ ˈtʃeɪmbə ˈdɔː

That I scarce1 was sure I heard you”—

US ðət aɪ ˈskɛrs1 wəz ʃʊr2 aɪ ˈhɝːd ju

UK ðət aɪ ˈskɛəs1 wəz ʃʊə2 aɪ ˈhɜːd ju

1 “scarce” in contemporary English is an adjective meaning “uncom-

mon, rare, difficult to find”. Here, however, it is used as an adverb
meaning “barely, hardly”; such usage is now considered outdated.
Note also the pronunciation.

2 “sure” can also be pronounced /ˈʃɔr/ or /ˈʃɚ/ in the US and /ˈʃɔː/ in

the UK.

here1 I opened wide the door;—

USˈhir aɪ ˈoʊpənd ˈwaɪd ðə ˈdɔːr

UK ˈhɪə aɪ ˈəʊpənd ˈwaɪd ðə ˈdɔː

1 at this point in time.

Darkness there and nothing more.

US ˈdɑːrknəs ˈðɛɚ ənd ˈnʌθɪŋ ˈmɔːr

UK ˈdɑːknəs ˈðɛə ənd ˈnʌθɪŋ ˈmɔː

***
Now, read the whole stanza again:
PRESENTLY MY SOUL GREW STRONGER... 30

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.
 STANZA V

Deep into that darkness

peering...
STANZA V 32

Deep into that darkness peering1,

USˈdiːp ˈɪntə ðæt2 ˈdɑːrknəs ˈpirɪŋ

UK ˈdiːp ˈɪntə ðæt2 ˈdɑːknəs ˈpɪərɪŋ

1 “to peer” means “to look carefully”, especially when you cannot see
the thing you are looking at clearly.

2 “that” as a determiner (e.g. “I saw that man”) is pronounced /ðæt/

even when it is not stressed. It is only reduced to /ðət/ when it is a
conjunction or a relative pronoun (as in “I know that he wasn’t there”
or “there’s the dog that bit him”). Since “that” as a conjunction or rel -
ative pronoun is only rarely stressed, it should be treated as a separ-
ate word in spoken language. Remember:

/ðæt/ – “I saw that man”, “it was that long”, “who is that?”
/ðət/ – “there’s the dog that bit him”, “I know that he wasn’t there”

long I stood there wondering, fearing1,

ˈlɔːŋ aɪ ˈstʊd ðɛɚ ˈwʌndərɪŋ ˈfirɪŋ

US
UK ˈlɒŋ aɪ ˈstʊd ðɛə ˈwʌndərɪŋ ˈfɪərɪŋ

1 being anxious, nervous.

Doubting, dreaming dreams

US+UK ˈdaʊtɪŋ ˈdriːmɪŋ ˈdriːmz

no mortal1 ever dared to dream before;

US noʊ ˈmɔːrtl ˈɛvɚ ˈdɛrd tə ˈdriːm bɪˈfɔːr

DEEP INTO THAT DARKNESS PEERING... 33

UK nəʊ ˈmɔːtl ˈɛvə ˈdɛəd tə ˈdriːm bɪˈfɔː

1 a human being (as opposed to a deity).

We will soon understand what dreams he was dreaming.

But the silence was unbroken1,

US bət ðə ˈsaɪləns wəz ʌnˈbroʊkən

UK bət ðə ˈsaɪləns wəz ʌnˈbrəʊkən

1 uninterrupted, continuous.

and the stillness1 gave no token2,

US ənd ðə ˈstɪlnəs ˈɡeɪv noʊ ˈtoʊkən

UK ənd ðə ˈstɪlnəs ˈɡeɪv nəʊ ˈtəʊkən

1 state without movement; silence.

2 hint, sign.

And the only word there spoken

USənd ði ˈoʊnli ˈwɝːd ðɛɚ ˈspoʊkən

UK ənd ði ˈəʊnli ˈwɜːd ðɛə ˈspəʊkən

was the whispered word, “Lenore?”

US wəz ðə ˈwɪspɚd ˈwɝːd ləˈnɔːr

UK wəz ðə ˈwɪspəd ˈwɜːd ləˈnɔː
STANZA V 34

Now we can fully appreciate the first two lines of Stanza II:

And the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain

Thrilled me—filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before!

He was thrilled and filled with fantastic terrors of the thought that
the visitor might be the lost Lenore.

This I whispered,

US ˈðɪs aɪ ˈwɪspɚd
UK ˈðɪs aɪ ˈwɪspəd

and an echo murmured1 back the word, “Lenore!”

US ənd ən ˈɛkoʊ ˈmɝːmɚd ˈbæk ðə ˈwɝːd ləˈnɔːr

UK ənd ən ˈɛkəʊ ˈmɜːməd ˈbæk ðə ˈwɜːd ləˈnɔː

1 said in a quiet, mumbling voice.

Merely this and nothing more.

USˈmɪrli ˈðɪs ənd ˈnʌθɪŋ ˈmɔːr

UK ˈmɪəli ˈðɪs ənd ˈnʌθɪŋ ˈmɔː

***
Now read the whole stanza again:
DEEP INTO THAT DARKNESS PEERING... 35

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.
 STANZA VI

Back into the chamber

turning...
STANZA VI 37

Back into the chamber turning,

USbæk ˈɪntə ðə ˈtʃeɪmbɚ ˈtɝːnɪŋ

UK bæk ˈɪntə ðə ˈtʃeɪmbə ˈtɜːnɪŋ

all my soul within me burning1,

US ˈɔːl maɪ ˈsoʊl wɪˈðɪn mi ˈbɝːnɪŋ

UK ˈɔːl maɪ ˈsəʊl wɪˈðɪn mi ˈbɜːnɪŋ

1 a poetic way to express agitation, unease, or excitement.

Soon again I heard a tapping

US suːn əˈgɛn1 aɪ ˈhɝːd ə ˈtæpɪŋ

UK suːn əˈgɛn1 aɪ ˈhɜːd ə ˈtæpɪŋ

1 another common pronunciation is /əˈgeɪn/.

somewhat louder than before.

USˈsʌmwət ˈlaʊdɚ ðən bɪˈfɔːr

UK ˈsʌmwɒt ˈlaʊdə ðən bɪˈfɔː

“Surely,” said I, “surely

US ˈʃʊrli1 ˈsɛd aɪ ˈʃʊrli

UK ˈʃʊəli1 ˈsɛd aɪ ˈʃʊəli
BACK INTO THE CHAMBER TURNING... 38

1 another common pronunciation of the word “surely” is /ˈʃɔrli/ or /

ˈʃɚli/ in the US and /ˈʃɔːli/ in the UK.

that is something at my window lattice1;

US ðæt ɪz ˈsʌmθɪŋ ət maɪ ˈwɪndoʊ ˈlætɪs

UK ðæt ɪz ˈsʌmθɪŋ ət maɪ ˈwɪndəʊ ˈlætɪs

1 metal or wooden grid (usually diamond- or square-shaped) used to

support windows.

Let me see, then, what thereat1 is,

US lɛt mi ˈsiː ðɛn wʌt ðɛrˈæt ɪz

UK lɛt mi ˈsiː ðɛn wɒt ðɛrˈæt ɪz

1 at that place.

and this mystery explore—

US ənd ðɪs ˈmɪstəri ɪkˈsplɔːr

UK ənd ðɪs ˈmɪstəri ɪkˈsplɔː

Let my heart be still1 a moment

US lɛt maɪ ˈhɑːrt bi ˈstɪl ə ˈmoʊmənt

UK lɛt maɪ ˈhɑːt bi ˈstɪl ə ˈməʊmənt

1 calm, quiet.
STANZA VI 39

and this mystery explore;—

USənd ðɪs ˈmɪstəri ɪkˈsplɔːr

UK ənd ðɪs ˈmɪstəri ɪkˈsplɔː

’Tis the wind and nothing more!”

UStɪz ðə ˈwɪnd ənd ˈnʌθɪŋ ˈmɔːr

UK tɪz ðə ˈwɪnd ənd ˈnʌθɪŋ ˈmɔː

Once again, the speaker is trying to calm down and explore the
source of tapping, which he assumes is just wind.

***
Now, read the whole stanza again:

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!”
 STANZA VII

Open here I flung the

shutter...
STANZA VII 41

Open here I flung1 the shutter2,

US ˈoʊpən ˈhir aɪ ˈflʌŋ ðə ˈʃʌtɚ

UK ˈəʊpən ˈhɪə aɪ ˈflʌŋ ðə ˈʃʌtə

1 the past tense of “fling”, which means “to move something force-
fully or angrily”. The phrase “to fling something open” means “to
open forcefully, aggressively”.

2 usually coming in a pair, shutters are wooden or metal covers used

to cover the outside of a window to block light or protect it from
damage.

when, with many a flirt1 and flutter2,

US ˈwɛn wɪð ˈmɛni ə ˈflɝːt ənd ˈflʌtɚ

UK ˈwɛn wɪð ˈmɛni ə flɜːt ənd ˈflʌtə

1 a sudden jerk; a quick throw.

2 quick, light, irregular motion (here referring to fluttering wings).

In there stepped a stately1 Raven

US ɪn ðɛɚ ˈstɛpt ə ˈsteɪtli ˈreɪvn

UK ɪn ðɛə ˈstɛpt ə ˈsteɪtli ˈreɪvn

1 majestic, impressive in size.

of the saintly days of yore1;

US əv ðə ˈseɪntli ˈdeɪz əv ˈjɔːr

OPEN HERE I FLUNG THE SHUTTER... 42

UK əv ðə ˈseɪntli ˈdeɪz əv ˈjɔː

1 “of yore” is a poetic word for “long ago”, used especially in the
phrase “days of yore” meaning “days of the far past”.

Not the least obeisance1 made he;

US nɑt ðə ˈliːst oʊˈbiːsns ˈmeɪd hi

UK nɒt ðə ˈliːst əʊˈbeɪsns ˈmeɪd hi

1 the act of showing respect to someone, often accompanied by tak-

ing a bow (bending one’s upper body).

not a minute stopped or stayed he;

US nɑt ə ˈmɪnɪt ˈstɑːpt ɔːr ˈsteɪd hi

UK nɒt ə ˈmɪnɪt ˈstɒpt ɔː ˈsteɪd hi

But, with mien1 of lord or lady,

US bʌt wɪð ˈmiːn əv ˈlɔːrd ɔːr ˈleɪdi

UK bʌt wɪð ˈmiːn əv ˈlɔːd ɔː ˈleɪdi

1 facial expression showing a certain attitude.

perched1 above my chamber door—

USˈpɝːtʃt əˈbʌv maɪ ˈtʃeɪmbɚ ˈdɔːr

UK ˈpɜːtʃt əˈbʌv maɪ ˈtʃeɪmbə ˈdɔː
STANZA VII 43

1 (of a bird) to land and stay on a branch or stick.

Perched upon a bust1 of Pallas2

US ˈpɝːtʃt əˈpɔːn ə ˈbʌst əv ˈpælæs

UK ˈpɜːtʃt əˈpɒn ə ˈbʌst əv ˈpælæs

1 a statue of a person’s head, shoulders, and chest.

2 another name of the Greek goddess of wisdom, Athena.
What we see here is a literary device called allusion. An allusion is an
expression hinting at something specific without directly mentioning
it, and it is often a reference to popular culture or mythology. Here,
the bust of Pallas establishes a connection between the bird and wis-
dom.

just above my chamber door—

US ˈdʒʌst əˈbʌv maɪ ˈtʃeɪmbɚ ˈdɔːr

UK ˈdʒʌst əˈbʌv maɪ ˈtʃeɪmbə ˈdɔː

Perched, and sat, and nothing more.

USˈpɝːtʃt ənd ˈsæt ənd ˈnʌθɪŋ ˈmɔːr

UK ˈpɜːtʃt ənd ˈsæt ənd ˈnʌθɪŋ ˈmɔː

***
Now, read the whole stanza again:
OPEN HERE I FLUNG THE SHUTTER... 44

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.
 STANZA VIII

Then this ebony bird...

STANZA VIII 46

Then this ebony1 bird

US ˈðɛn ðɪs ˈɛbəni ˈbɝːd bɪˈɡaɪlɪŋ

UK ˈðɛn ðɪs ˈɛbəni ˈbɜːd bɪˈɡaɪlɪŋ

1 deep, dark black (from ebony, the blackest kind wood in the world).

beguiling1 my sad fancy2 into smiling,

US+UK maɪ sæd ˈfænsi ˈɪntə ˈsmaɪlɪŋ,

1 deceiving, deluding; tricking somebody into doing something by

being nice to them.

2 one’s thoughts, ideas, or fantasies.

By the grave1 and stern2 decorum3

US baɪ ðə ˈɡreɪv ənd ˈstɝːn dɪˈkɔːrəm

UK baɪ ðə ˈɡreɪv ənd ˈstɜːn dɪˈkɔːrəm

1 serious, important.
2 strict, serious, forbidding.
3 polite behaviour appropriate in the given situation.

of the countenance1 it wore,

USəv ðə ˈkaʊntənəns ɪt ˈwɔːr

UK əv ðə ˈkaʊntənəns ɪt ˈwɔː

1 a literary word for one’s face or facial expression.

THEN THIS EBONY BIRD... 47

“Though thy1 crest2 be3 shorn4 and shaven,

US ˈðoʊ ðaɪ ˈkrɛst bi ˈʃɔːrn ənd ˈʃeɪvn

UK ˈðəʊ ðaɪ krɛst bi ˈʃɔːn ənd ˈʃeɪvn

1 a Middle English word meaning “your”, used only in poetic con-

texts or when referring to the Bible. The King James Bible, the most
commonly cited and reprinted English translation of the Bible ori-
ginating in the 16th century, uses “thou”, “thee”, “thy” and “thine” in-
stead of singular “you”, “you accusative” (as in “I see you”), “your”, and
“yours” in certain contexts. Due to this version being so widespread,
these four forms survived even in modern-day poetry.

2 a group of decorative feathers that stick out from a bird’s head;

cockatoo parrots, for example, usually have large crests. It also refers
to a decoration worn on a soldier’s helmet.

3 here we see the so-called present subjunctive. The present subjunc-

tive is always identical to the infinitive and expresses some form of
necessity. For instance, “it is important that he is here” means “he is
here and this fact is important”, whereas “it is important that he be
here” means “he must be here; it is important for him to be here.”

Historically, the present subjunctive was also used to express possi-

bility, but such usage is now uncommon. We would say: “Although
your crest may be shorn and shaven”

4 the past participle of the verb “shear”, which means “to cut off wool
or hair”.

thou1,” I said, “art1 sure no craven2,

USˈðaʊ aɪ sɛd ɑːrt ˈʃʊr noʊ ˈkreɪvn

UK ˈðaʊ aɪ sɛd ɑːt ˈʃʊə nəʊ ˈkreɪvn
STANZA VIII 48

1 as we mentioned previously, “thou” is the Middle English word for

“you” (singular). It follows its own conjugation pattern with verbs
ending in -est, -st, or simply -t, e.g. thou goest (you go), thou dost
(you do), thou art (you are).

2 coward, someone unwilling to fight.

In summary, the last line means: “Although your crest may be shorn
and shaven (although you don’t have a noble soldier’s crest), you
surely aren’t a coward.”

Ghastly1 grim2 and ancient Raven

US ˈɡæstli ˈɡrɪm ənd ˈeɪntʃənt ˈreɪvn

UK ˈɡɑːstli ˈɡrɪm ənd ˈeɪnʃənt ˈreɪvn

1 horrifyingly, terrifyingly.
2 unpleasant and depressing.

wandering1 from the Nightly shore—

USˈwɑːndərɪŋ frəm ðə ˈnaɪtli ˈʃɔːr

UK ˈwɒndərɪŋ frəm ðə ˈnaɪtli ˈʃɔː

1 straying, travelling without a specific destination.

Tell me what thy lordly1 name is

USˈtɛl miː ˈwʌt ðaɪ ˈlɔːrdli ˈneɪm ɪz

UK ˈtɛl miː ˈwɒt ðaɪ ˈlɔːdli ˈneɪm ɪz

1 proud, glorious, appropriate for a lord.

THEN THIS EBONY BIRD... 49

on the Night’s Plutonian1 shore!”

USɔn ðə ˈnaɪts pluːˈtoʊniən ˈʃɔːr

UK ɒn ðə ˈnaɪts pluːˈtəʊniən ˈʃɔː

1 Pluto is the Roman god of the underworld.

Quoth1 the Raven “Nevermore.”

USˈkwoʊθ ðə ˈreɪvn ˌnɛvɚˈmɔːr

UK ˈkwəʊθ ðə ˈreɪvn ˌnɛvəˈmɔː

1 the past tense of the archaic verb quethe /kwiːð/ which means “to
say, declare”. The verb itself is not used any more, but we can still
sometimes see the pattern “quoth X” which means “X said” even in
contemporary literary works. Unlike most other verbs, “quoth” al-
ways precedes the subject.

***
In summary, the speaker asked the Raven what his name was, and
the Raven replied: “Nevermore.” Now, read the whole stanza again:

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.”
 STANZA IX

Much I marvelled this

ungainly fowl...
STANZA IX 51

Much I marvelled1 this ungainly2 fowl3

US ˈmʌtʃ aɪ ˈmɑːrvld ðɪs ʌnˈɡeɪnli ˈfaʊl

UK ˈmʌtʃ aɪ ˈmɑːvld ðɪs ʌnˈɡeɪnli ˈfaʊl

1 when you marvel something, you are amazed by it.

2 clumsy; lacking grace.
3 in the past, “fowl” meant any kind of bird; in modern usage, “fowl”
refers to birds kept for meat or eggs.

to hear discourse1 so plainly2,

UStə hir dɪsˈkɔːrs soʊ ˈpleɪnli

UK tə hɪə dɪsˈkɔːs səʊ ˈpleɪnli

1 to engage in a conversation; to converse; “discourse” is more com-

monly a noun referring to the conversation itself.

2 clearly, understandably.
The whole line could be rewritten in simple English as “I was very
amazed that I so clearly heard the bird speak”.

Though its answer little meaning—

US ðoʊ ɪts ˈænsɚ ˈlɪtl ˈmiːnɪŋ

UK ðəʊ ɪts ˈɑːnsə ˈlɪtl ˈmiːnɪŋ

little relevancy bore1;

US ˈlɪtl ˈrɛləvənsi ˈbɔːr

MUCH I MARVELLED THIS UNGAINLY FOWL... 52

UK ˈlɪtl ˈrɛləvənsi ˈbɔː

1 the past tense of “bear”, which in this context means “to have,
show, manifest”.

For we cannot help agreeing1

USˈfɔːr wi ˈkænɑt ˈhɛlp əˈɡriːɪŋ

UK ˈfɔː wi ˈkænɒt ˈhɛlp əˈɡriːɪŋ

1 “help” is normally followed by a bare infinitive, optionally with

“to”; that is, we say either “help someone do something” or, less com-
monly, “help someone to do something”.

The only case where “help” is followed by the -ing form is the phrase
“cannot help doing something”, which means “not to be able to re-
frain from something”, “to have to do something”. In other words,
the speaker says: “Because we must surely agree...”

that no living human being

US ðət noʊ ˈlɪvɪŋ ˈhjuːmən ˈbiːɪŋ

UK ðət nəʊ ˈlɪvɪŋ ˈhjuːmən ˈbiːɪŋ

Ever yet was blessed with1 seeing

USˈɛvɚ ˈjɛt wəz ˈblɛst wɪθ ˈsiːɪŋ

UK ˈɛvə jɛt wəz blɛst wɪθ ˈsiːɪŋ

1 “blessed with” means “lucky to have (the opportunity of)”.

STANZA IX 53

bird above his chamber door—

US ˈbɝːd əˈbʌv hɪz ˈtʃeɪmbɚ ˈdɔːr

UK ˈbɜːd əˈbʌv hɪz ˈtʃeɪmbə ˈdɔː

Bird or beast1 upon the sculptured bust

USˈbɝːd ɔːr ˈbiːst əˈpɔːn ðə ˈskʌlptʃɚd ˈbʌst

UK ˈbɜːd ɔː ˈbiːst əˈpɒn ðə ˈskʌlptʃəd ˈbʌst

1 an unusual animal, especially when it is large and dangerous.

above his chamber door,

USəˈbʌv hɪz ˈtʃeɪmbɚ ˈdɔːr

UK əˈbʌv hɪz ˈtʃeɪmbə dɔː

With such name as “Nevermore.”

US wɪθ sʌtʃ ˈneɪm əz ˌnɛvɚˈmɔːr

UK wɪθ sʌtʃ ˈneɪm əz ˌnɛvəˈmɔː

***
In this stanza, the speaker was wondering how anyone’s name could
be Nevermore (because this is what the Raven previously replied to
the speaker’s question).

Now, read the whole stanza again:

MUCH I MARVELLED THIS UNGAINLY FOWL... 54

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.”
 STANZA X

But the raven, sitting

lonely...
STANZA X 56

But the Raven, sitting lonely

US+UK bət ðə ˈreɪvn ˈsɪtɪŋ ˈloʊnli

on the placid1 bust, spoke only

US ɔn ðə ˈplæsɪd ˈbʌst spoʊk ˈoʊnli

UK ɒn ðə ˈplæsɪd ˈbʌst spəʊk ˈəʊnli

1 calm and peaceful; tranquil.

That one word, as if his soul

USðæt ˈwʌn ˈwɝːd əz ɪf hɪz ˈsoʊl

UK ðæt ˈwʌn ˈwɜːd əz ɪf hɪz ˈsəʊl

in that one word he did outpour.1

USɪn ðæt ˈwʌn ˈwɝːd hi dɪd aʊtˈpɔːr

UK ɪn ðæt ˈwʌn ˈwɜːd hi dɪd aʊtˈpɔː

1 by “outpouring his soul in that one word” the speaker means that
the word “nevermore” contained in itself the whole essence of the
bird’s soul.

Nothing further then he uttered1—

USˈnʌθɪŋ ˈfɝːðɚ ˈðɛn hi ˈʌtɚd

UK ˈnʌθɪŋ ˈfɜːðə ˈðɛn hi ˈʌtəd
BUT THE RAVEN, SITTING LONELY... 57

1 a formal or archaic word for “said”.

not a feather then he fluttered1—

USnɑt ə ˈfɛðɚ ˈðɛn hi ˈflʌtɚd

UK nɒt ə ˈfɛðə ðɛn hi ˈflʌtəd

1 to flap or wave quickly.

Till I scarcely1 more than muttered

UStɪl aɪ ˈskɛrsli1 ˈmɔːr ðən ˈmʌtɚd

UK tɪl aɪ ˈskɛəsli1 ˈmɔː ðən ˈmʌtəd

1 almost not at all; notice the pronunciation.

“Other friends have flown before—

US ˈʌðɚ ˈfrɛndz həv ˈfloʊn bɪˈfɔːr

UK ˈʌðə ˈfrɛndz həv ˈfləʊn bɪˈfɔː

On the morrow1 he will leave me,

US ɔn ðə ˈmɔːroʊ ˈhiː wɪl ˈliːv miː

UK ɒn ðə ˈmɒrəʊ ˈhiː wɪl ˈliːv miː

1 a poetic word for the following day.

STANZA X 58

as my Hopes1 have flown before.”

US əz maɪ ˈhoʊps həv ˈfloʊn bɪˈfɔːr

UK əz maɪ ˈhəʊps həv ˈfləʊn bɪˈfɔː

1 Poe personifies several nouns in the poem by capitalizing them.

His Hopes are the friends he was referring to in the previous line.

Then the bird said “Nevermore.”

US ðɛn ðə ˈbɝːd sɛd ˌnɛvɚˈmɔːr

UK ðɛn ðə ˈbɜːd sɛd ˌnɛvəˈmɔː

The speaker tries to comfort himself by saying that the bird will fly
away, just like his hopes did. But then the raven denies that by saying
“Nevermore.”

***

Now, read the whole stanza again:

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.”
 STANZA XI

Startled at the stillness

broken...
STANZA XI 60

Startled1 at the stillness2 broken

USˈstɑːrtld ət ðə ˈstɪlnəs ˈbroʊkən

UK ˈstɑːtld ət ðə ˈstɪlnəs ˈbrəʊkən

1 frightened; shocked.
2 silence.

by reply1 so aptly2 spoken,

US baɪ rɪˈplaɪ soʊ ˈæptli ˈspoʊkən

UK baɪ rɪˈplaɪ səʊ ˈæptli ˈspəʊkən

1 referring to the Raven’s “Nevermore.” at the end of the previous

stanza.

2 promptly, readily.

“Doubtless1,” said I, “what it utters

US ˈdaʊtləs ˈsɛd aɪ wʌt ɪt ˈʌtɚz

UK ˈdaʊtləs ˈsɛd aɪ wɒt ɪt ˈʌtəz

1 doubtlessly, no doubt. “Doubtless” is commonly used as an adverb.

is its only stock and store1

US ɪz ɪts ˈoʊnli ˈstɑːk ənd ˈstɔːr

UK ɪz ɪts ˈəʊnli ˈstɒk ənd ˈstɔː
STARTLED AT THE STILLNESS BROKEN... 61

1 by “nevermore” being the bird’s “only stock and store” the speaker
means that it is the only word the bird has “in stock”, i.e. the only
word it knows.

Caught from some unhappy master

US ˈkɔːt frəm səm ʌnˈhæpi ˈmæstɚ

UK ˈkɔːt frəm səm ʌnˈhæpi ˈmɑːstə

whom unmerciful1 Disaster2

US ˈhuːm ʌnˈmɝːsɪfəl dɪˈzæstɚ

UK ˈhuːm ʌnˈmɜːsɪfəl dɪˈzɑːstə

1 merciless, not showing mercy, forgiveness, or compassion.

2 notice how “disaster” is personified here.

Followed fast and followed faster

US ˈfɑloʊd ˈfæst ənd ˈfɑloʊd ˈfæstɚ

UK ˈfɒləʊd ˈfɑːst ənd ˈfɒləʊd ˈfɑːstə

Here we have alliteration (f- f- f- f-), assonance (-ɑ- -æ- -ɑ- -æ-), and
even consonance used in a single line. Consonance refers to repetition
of an internal or final consonant, here -d -t -d -t-.

till his songs one burden1 bore—

US tɪl hɪz ˈsɑŋz wʌn ˈbɝːdn ˈbɔːr

UK tɪl hɪz ˈsɒŋz wʌn ˈbɜːdn bɔː
STANZA XI 62

1 a heavy load.

Till the dirges1 of his Hope2

UStɪl ðə ˈdɝːdʒɪz əv hɪz ˈhoʊp

UK tɪl ðə ˈdɜːdʒɪz əv hɪz ˈhəʊp

1 a dirge is a mournful song or poem performed at a funeral.

2 a personification of hope, as opposed to Disaster we saw earlier.

that melancholy1 burden bore

US ðæt ˈmɛlənkɑːli ˈbɝːdn ˈbɔːr

UK ðæt ˈmɛləŋkɒli ˈbɜːdn ˈbɔː

1 as an adjective, “melancholy” means “affected with sadness”. It is

much more common than the adjective “melancholic”, which tends
to be used mostly when talking about medical conditions and mental
well-being, such as “melancholic depression”, rather than properties
of objects; it sounds more natural to talk about a “melancholy mo-
ment” rather than a “melancholic moment”.

Of ‘Never—nevermore’.”

US əv ˈnɛvɚ ˌnɛvɚˈmɔːr
UK əv ˈnɛvə ˌnɛvəˈmɔː

The speaker is shocked by the Raven’s denial and tries to explain it as

the only thing its previous master taught it to say.

***
STARTLED AT THE STILLNESS BROKEN... 63

Now, read the whole stanza again:

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’.”
 STANZA XII

But the Raven still

beguiling...
STANZA XII 65

But the Raven still beguiling1

USbət ðə ˈreɪvn ˈstɪl bɪˈɡaɪlɪŋ

UK bət ðə ˈreɪvn stɪl bɪˈɡaɪlɪŋ

1 deceiving, deluding.

all my sad soul into smiling,

US ɔːl maɪ ˈsæd ˈsoʊl ˈɪntə ˈsmaɪlɪŋ

UK ɔːl maɪ ˈsæd ˈsəʊl ˈɪntə ˈsmaɪlɪŋ

Note: Some sources provide the following version of the line: “But
the Raven still beguiling my sad fancy into smiling”

Straight I wheeled1 a cushioned2 seat

US+UK ˈstreɪt aɪ ˈwiːld ə ˈkʊʃnd2 ˈsiːt

1 as a verb, “wheel” means “to push or pull something that has

wheels”.

2 furnished with cushions, i.e. “pillows” (the difference between a

cushion and a pillow is that the former is used for sitting or kneeling,
whereas the latter is used to support one’s head, usually on the bed).
Notice also the pronunciation—it sounds like “koosh-nd”.

in front of bird and bust and door;

US ɪn ˈfrʌnt əv ˈbɝːd ənd ˈbʌst ənd ˈdɔːr

UK ɪn ˈfrʌnt əv ˈbɜːd ənd ˈbʌst ənd ˈdɔː
BUT THE RAVEN STILL BEGUILING... 66

Then, upon the velvet sinking1,

US ðɛn əˈpɔːn ðə ˈvɛlvət ˈsɪŋkɪŋ

UK ðɛn əˈpɒn ðə ˈvɛlvɪt ˈsɪŋkɪŋ

1 “sinking velvet” refers to the cushions of the speaker’s seat sinking

as he sat down.

I betook1 myself to linking2

US+UK aɪ bɪˈtʊk maɪˈsɛlf tə ˈlɪŋkɪŋ

1 “to betake oneself” is an archaic expression meaning “to start doing

a specified action in a serious manner”.

2 connecting; see below.

Fancy unto fancy1, thinking

US+UK ˈfænsi ˈʌntə ˈfænsi ˈθɪŋkɪŋ

1 “fancy” is something we imagine, an imaginative thought or a

fantasy. By “betaking oneself to linking fancy unto fancy”, the
speaker means he started linking one thought to another; he started
imagining.

what this ominous1 bird of yore2—

US ˈwʌt ðɪs ˈɑːmɪnəs ˈbɝːd əv ˈjɔːr

UK ˈwɒt ðɪs ˈɒmɪnəs ˈbɜːd əv ˈjɔː

1 being an evil omen; foretelling something negative.

STANZA XII 67

2 of old days.

What this grim1, ungainly2, ghastly3, gaunt4,

USˈwʌt ðɪs ˈɡrɪm ʌnˈɡeɪnli ˈɡæstli ˈɡɔːnt

UK ˈwɒt ðɪs ˈɡrɪm ʌnˈɡeɪnli ˈɡɑːstli ˈɡɔːnt

1 depressing.
2 lacking grace.
3 horrifying.
4 skinny, bony.

and ominous bird of yore

US ənd ˈɑːmɪnəs ˈbɝːd əv ˈjɔːr

UK ənd ˈɒmɪnəs ˈbɜːd əv ˈjɔː

Meant in croaking1 “Nevermore.”

USˈmɛnt ɪn ˈkroʊkɪŋ ˌnɛvɚˈmɔːr

UK ˈmɛnt ɪn ˈkrəʊkɪŋ ˌnɛvəˈmɔː

1 “croaking” is the sound made by a frog; somewhat figuratively, it

also refers to something uttered in a faint, rough voice. Do not con-
fuse it with “creaking”, which is the squeaking sound made by un-
oiled door hinges, for example.

***
Now, read the whole stanza again:
BUT THE RAVEN STILL BEGUILING... 68

But the Raven still beguiling all my sad soul 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.”
 STANZA XIII

This I sat engaged in

guessing...
STANZA XIII 70

This I sat engaged1 in guessing,

US+UK ˈðɪs aɪ ˈsæt ɪnˈɡeɪdʒd ɪn ˈɡɛsɪŋ

1 busy doing.

but no syllable expressing1

US bət noʊ ˈsɪləbl ɪkˈsprɛsɪŋ

UK bət nəʊ ˈsɪləbl ɪkˈsprɛsɪŋ

1 the speaker tells us that he sat there in silence.

To the fowl whose fiery1 eyes now

US+UK tə ðə ˈfaʊl huːz ˈfaɪəri1 ˈaɪz naʊ

1 looking like fire. Note the spelling and pronunciation.

burned into my bosom’s core1;

US ˈbɝːnd ˈɪntə maɪ ˈbʊzəmz ˈkɔːr

UK ˈbɜːnd ˈɪntə maɪ ˈbʊzəmz ˈkɔː

1 in modern usage, “bosom” is most commonly used to refer poetic-

ally to a woman’s breasts, but it can refer to any person’s chest, irre-
spective of gender. By the fowl’s fiery eyes burning into his bosom’s
core, the speaker expresses that the fowl is staring at his chest.

This and more I sat divining1,

THIS I SAT ENGAGED IN GUESSING... 71

US ðɪs ənd ˈmɔːr aɪ ˈsæt dɪˈvaɪnɪŋ,

UK ðɪs ənd ˈmɔː aɪ ˈsæt dɪˈvaɪnɪŋ

1 foretelling, guessing.

with my head at ease1 reclining2

US+UK wɪð maɪ ˈhɛd ət ˈiːz rɪˈklaɪnɪŋ

1 free of stress, without tension.

2 leaning (bending) back.

On the cushion’s velvet lining1

US ɔn ðə ˈkʊʃnz ˈvɛlvɪt ˈlaɪnɪŋ

UK ɒn ðə ˈkʊʃnz ˈvɛlvɪt ˈlaɪnɪŋ

1 lining is the covering of the inside surface of something.

that the lamp-light gloated1 o’er2,

US ðət ðə ˈlæmplaɪt ˈɡloʊtɪd ˈɔːr2

UK ðət ðə ˈlæmplaɪt ˈɡləʊtɪd ˈɔː2

1 “to gloat over/at/about something” means “to feel malicious satis-

faction or delight about someone else’s misfortune” in modern Eng-
lish. However, the word originally meant “to cast a side-glance”. As
both meanings were around at the time the poem was written, we
can no longer tell which one was intended, but the most likely inter-
pretation is that the lamp light glanced (looked) over the velvet lining.
STANZA XIII 72

2 a contraction of the word “over”, used chiefly in poetry. Notice its

monosyllabic pronunciation.

But whose velvet-violet lining

US bət huːz ˈvɛlvɪt ˈvaɪələt ˈlaɪnɪŋ

UK bət huːz ˈvɛlvɪt ˈvaɪələt ˈlaɪnɪŋ

with the lamp-light gloating o’er,

USwɪð ðə ˈlæmplaɪt ˈɡloʊtɪŋ ˈɔːr

UK wɪð ðə ˈlæmplaɪt ˈɡləʊtɪŋ ˈɔː

She shall press, ah, nevermore!

US ˈʃiː ʃæl ˈprɛs ɑː ˌnɛvɚˈmɔːr

UK ˈʃiː ʃæl ˈprɛs ɑː ˌnɛvəˈmɔː

The last four lines are a bit harder to understand. They say approx-
imately the following: “I sat busy guessing [what this all was about],
with my head leaned back comfortably on the velvet lining (of the
cushion) that was lit by a lamp. However, she [Lenore] shall never
again press the velvet lining [with her own head].”

***
Now, read the whole stanza again:
THIS I SAT ENGAGED IN GUESSING... 73

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!
 STANZA XIV

Then, methought, the air

grew denser...
STANZA XIV 75

Then, methought1, the air grew denser2,

US ˈðɛn mɪˈθɔːt ði ˈɛr ɡruː ˈdɛnsɚ

UK ˈðɛn mɪˈθɔːt ði ˈɛə ɡruː ˈdɛnsə

1 “methinks” means “it seems to me”. This word, found in abund-

ance in the works of Shakespeare, is only used in modern English as
a humorous way to express an opinion.

2 “grew denser” means “became denser”.

perfumed from an unseen1 censer2

USˈpɝːfjuːmd frəm ən ʌnˈsiːn ˈsɛnsɚ

UK ˈpɜːfjuːmd frəm ən ʌnˈsiːn ˈsɛnsə

1 that cannot be seen.

2 a container used to burn incense (a ritual perfume) during religious
ceremonies.

Swung by Seraphim1 whose foot-falls2 tinkled3

US ˈswʌŋ baɪ ˈsɛrəfɪm huːz ˈfʊtfɔːlz ˈtɪŋkld

UK ˈswʌŋ baɪ ˈsɛrəfɪm huːz ˈfʊtfɔːlz ˈtɪŋkld

1 seraphs or seraphim (both being the plural of “seraph”) are angelic

beings belonging to the highest order of the celestial hierarchy.

2 a footfall (alternatively spelled foot-fall) is the sound made by foot-

steps.

3 made a light metallic sound.

THEN, METHOUGHT, THE AIR GREW DENSER... 76

on the tufted1 floor.

USɔn ðə ˈtʌftɪd ˈflɔːr

UK ɒn ðə ˈtʌftɪd flɔː

1 having tufts. A tuft is a bunch of feathers, grass, hair, moss, or an-

other soft material joined at the base. Here, “tufted floor” probably
refers to the tufts found on a mat on the floor.

Note: Tufts also refer to the clusters of threads with buttons at both
ends that are often used in mattresses, cushions, etc., to strengthen
the padding (the filling material), and the adjective “tufted” is mostly
used when talking about types of mattresses and cushions.

“Wretch1,” I cried, “thy God hath2 lent thee3—

US ˈrɛtʃ aɪ kraɪd ðaɪ ˈɡɑːd hæθ ˈlɛnt ðiː

UK ˈrɛtʃ aɪ ˈkraɪd ðaɪ ˈɡɒd hæθ ˈlɛnt ðiː

1 an unfortunate and miserable person, here referring to the speaker

himself.

2 archaic third person singular of “have”, i.e. “has”.

3 accusative of “thou”, an archaic form of “you”.

by these angels he hath sent thee

US+UK baɪ ðiːz ˈeɪndʒəlz ˈhiː hæθ ˈsɛnt ðiː

STANZA XIV 77

Respite1—respite and nepenthe2

US ˈrɛspɪt ˈrɛspɪt ˈænd nɪˈpɛnθiː

UK ˈrɛspaɪt ˈrɛspaɪt ˈænd nɪˈpɛnθiː

1 a brief interval of relief.

2 a mythological Greek drug that provides relief from grief or sor-
row.

from thy memories of Lenore;

USfrəm ðaɪ ˈmɛməriz əv ləˈnɔːr

UK frəm ðaɪ ˈmɛməriz əv ləˈnɔː

Quaff1, oh quaff this kind2 nepenthe

US ˈkwæf oʊ ˈkwæf ðɪs ˈkaɪnd nɪˈpɛnθiː

UK ˈkwɒf əʊ ˈkwɒf ðɪs ˈkaɪnd nɪˈpɛnθiː

1 drink a large amount quickly; overindulge in drinking.

2 benevolent, nice.

and forget this lost Lenore!”

US ˈænd fɚˈɡɛt ðɪs ˈlɔːst ləˈnɔːr

UK ˈænd fəˈɡɛt ðɪs ˈlɒst ləˈnɔː
THEN, METHOUGHT, THE AIR GREW DENSER... 78

Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.”

US ˈkwoʊθ ðə ˈreɪvn ˌnɛvɚˈmɔːr

UK ˈkwəʊθ ðə ˈreɪvn ˌnɛvəˈmɔː

***
In a moment of madness, the speaker is talking to himself, imagining
that angels brought him relief from his sorrow. Here is the whole
stanza in simpler language:

Then I thought the air got denser perfumed by an invisible censer

Which was swung be angels whose footfalls tinkled on the floor.
“You poor thing,” I said, “your God has lent you relief and medicine
(which he sent you by these angels) from your memories of Lenore
Drink, oh drink this good medicine and forget this lost Lenore!”
The Raven replied: “Nevermore.”

Now, read the original again:

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.”
 STANZA XV

Prophet, said I, thing of

evil...
STANZA XV 80

“Prophet1!” said I, “thing of evil!—

US ˈprɑːfət ˈsɛd aɪ ˈθɪŋ əv ˈiːvl

UK ˈprɒfət ˈsɛd aɪ ˈθɪŋ əv ˈiːvl

1 a person or thing sent by a deity to facilitate communication with

mortals.

prophet still, if bird or devil!2—

US ˈprɑːfət ˈstɪl ɪf ˈbɝːd ɔːr ˈdɛvl

UK ˈprɒfət ˈstɪl ɪf ˈbɜːd ɔː ˈdɛvl

2 here we see an instance of the so-called eye rhyme (also visual rhyme
or sight rhyme). The words rhyme visually in their spelling but not in
their pronunciation.

The line means: “[you are] a prophet anyway, no matter whether you
are a bird or devil”.

Whether Tempter1 sent, or whether

US ˈwɛðɚ ˈtɛmptɚ ˈsɛnt ɔːr ˈwɛðɚ

UK ˈwɛðə ˈtɛmptə ˈsɛnt ɔː ˈwɛðə

1 someone who tempts or seduces; someone who tries to convince

someone else to do something inappropriate or sinful.

tempest1 tossed2 thee here ashore3,

US ˈtɛmpɪst ˈtɔːst ðiː ˈhir əˈʃɔːr

UK ˈtɛmpɪst ˈtɒst ðiː hɪə əˈʃɔː
PROPHET, SAID I, THING OF EVIL... 81

1 a violent storm with strong winds.

2 threw.
3 on the land, as opposed to the sea.

Desolate1 yet all undaunted2,

US+UK ˈdɛsələt jɛt ɔːl ʌnˈdɔːntɪd

1 lonely and unhappy.

2 not discouraged or disheartened by difficulties.
The speaker feels desolate but still undaunted. The line could also be
interpreted as the Raven feeling desolate yet undaunted.

on this desert land enchanted1—

US ɔn ðɪs ˈdɛzɚt ˈlænd ɛnˈtʃæntɪd

UK ɒn ðɪs ˈdɛzət ˈlænd ɛnˈtʃɑːntɪd

1 being under the influence of magic.

On this home by Horror haunted1—

US ɔn ðɪs ˈhoʊm baɪ ˈhɔːrɚ ˈhɔːntɪd

UK ɒn ðɪs ˈhəʊm baɪ ˈhɔːrə ˈhɔːntɪd

1 places are usually haunted by ghosts. Here, the speaker’s home is

haunted by Horror, as if it were a person.
STANZA XV 82

tell me truly, I implore—

US ˈtɛl mi ˈtruːli ˈaɪ ɪmˈplɔːr

UK ˈtɛl mi ˈtruːli aɪ ɪmˈplɔː

Is there—is there balm in Gilead1?—

US ˈɪz ðɛɚ ˈɪz ðɛɚ ˈbɑːm ɪn ˈɡɪliəd

UK ˈɪz ðɛə ˈɪz ðɛə ˈbɑːm ɪn ˈɡɪliəd

1 balm of Gilead is a rare medicinally used perfume referred to in

the Bible. In figurative speech, it came to mean a universal cure for
one’s afflictions. This particular wording refers to the question
Jeremiah asks in Jeremiah 8:22: “Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there
no physician there? Why then is there no healing for the wound of
my people?”

tell me—tell me, I implore!”

USˈtɛl mi ˈtɛl mi ˈaɪ ˌɪmˈplɔːr

UK ˈtɛl mi ˈtɛl mi aɪ ɪmˈplɔː

Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.”

US ˈkwoʊθ ðə ˈreɪvn ˌnɛvɚˈmɔːr

UK ˈkwəʊθ ðə ˈreɪvn ˌnɛvəˈmɔː
PROPHET, SAID I, THING OF EVIL... 83

“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.”
 STANZA XVI

Prophet, said I, thing of

evil... (2)
STANZA XVI 85

“Prophet!” said I, “thing of evil!—

USˈprɑːfət ˈsɛd aɪ ˈθɪŋ əv ˈiːvl

UK ˈprɒfət ˈsɛd aɪ ˈθɪŋ əv ˈiːvl

prophet still, if bird or devil!1—

US ˈprɑːfət ˈstɪl ɪf ˈbɝːd ɔːr ˈdɛvl

UK ˈprɒfət ˈstɪl ɪf ˈbɜːd ɔː ˈdɛvl

By that Heaven that bends above us—

USbaɪ ðæt ˈhɛvn ðət ˈbɛndz əˈbʌv əs

UK baɪ ðæt ˈhɛvn ðət ˈbɛndz əˈbʌv əs

by that God we both adore1—

US baɪ ðæt ˈɡɑːd wi ˈboʊθ əˈdɔːr

UK baɪ ðæt ˈɡɒd wi ˈbəʊθ əˈdɔː

1 worship or love with one’s entire heart.

Tell this soul with sorrow laden1

USˈtɛl ðɪs ˈsoʊl wɪθ ˈsɔːroʊ ˈleɪdn

UK ˈtɛl ðɪs ˈsəʊl wɪθ ˈsɒrəʊ ˈleɪdn

1 burdened, weighed down.

PROPHET, SAID I, THING OF EVIL... (2) 86

if, within the distant Aidenn1,

US+UK ɪf wɪˈðɪn ðə ˈdɪstənt ˈeɪdn

1 an uncommon poetic spelling of Eden (paradise), which is, how-

ever, pronounced /ˈiːdn/.

It shall clasp1 a sainted2 maiden

US ɪt ʃæl ˈklæsp ə ˈseɪntɪd ˈmeɪdn

UK ɪt ʃæl ˈklɑːsp ə ˈseɪntɪd ˈmeɪdn

1 hold tightly with one’s arms.

2 considered to be a saint.
The speaker asks the Raven whether his soul with sorrow laden shall
ever embrace a sainted maiden...

whom the angels name Lenore—

USˈhuːm ði ˈeɪndʒəlz ˈneɪm ləˈnɔːr

UK ˈhuːm ði ˈeɪndʒəlz ˈneɪm ləˈnɔː

Clasp a rare and radiant maiden

USˈklæsp ə ˈrɛr ənd ˈreɪdiənt ˈmeɪdn

UK ˈklɑːsp ə ˈrɛə ənd ˈreɪdɪənt ˈmeɪdn
STANZA XVI 87

whom the angels name Lenore.”

USˈhuːm ði ˈeɪndʒəlz ˈneɪm ləˈnɔːr.

UK ˈhuːm ði ˈeɪndʒəlz ˈneɪm ləˈnɔː.

Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.”

US ˈkwoʊθ ðə ˈreɪvn ˌnɛvɚˈmɔːr

UK ˈkwəʊθ ðə ˈreɪvn ˌnɛvəˈmɔː

Now we understand why the speaker addresses the Raven as “Pro-

phet”. Only a prophet could answer the burning question: Shall the
speaker ever again embrace Lenore in Heaven? The Raven replied:
“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.”
 STANZA XVII

Be that word our sign of

parting...
STANZA XVII 89

“Be that word our sign of parting1,

US ˈbi ðət ˈwɝːd aʊɚ ˈsaɪn əv ˈpɑːrtɪŋ

UK ˈbi ðət ˈwɜːd aʊə ˈsaɪn əv ˈpɑːtɪŋ

1 the act of leaving a person.

bird or fiend1!” I shrieked2, upstarting3—

US ˈbɝːd ɔːr ˈfiːnd aɪ ˈʃriːkt ʌpˈstɑːrtɪŋ

UK ˈbɜːd ɔː ˈfiːnd aɪ ˈʃriːkt ʌpˈstɑːtɪŋ

1 the devil or a demon. More generally, the word may be used to

refer to a terrible enemy or an evil person.

2 screamed, shouted loudly out of terror.

3 “to upstart” means “to rise suddenly; to spring (jump)”.

“Get thee back into the tempest

US+UK ɡɛt ðiː ˈbæk ˈɪntə ðə ˈtɛmpɪst

and the Night’s Plutonian shore!

US ənd ðə ˈnaɪts pluːˈtoʊniən ˈʃɔːr

UK ənd ðə ˈnaɪts pluːˈtəʊniən ˈʃɔː
BE THAT WORD OUR SIGN OF PARTING... 90

Leave no black plume1 as a token

US ˈliːv noʊ ˈblæk ˈpluːm əz ə ˈtoʊkən

UK ˈliːv nəʊ ˈblæk ˈpluːm əz ə ˈtəʊkən

1 a decorative feather of a bird (such as that of a peacock).

of that lie thy soul hath spoken!

US əv ðət ˈlaɪ ðaɪ ˈsoʊl hæθ ˈspoʊkən

UK əv ðət ˈlaɪ ðaɪ ˈsəʊl hæθ ˈspəʊkən

Leave my loneliness unbroken!—

US ˈliːv maɪ ˈloʊnlɪnəs ʌnˈbroʊkən

UK ˈliːv maɪ ˈləʊnlɪnəs ʌnˈbrəʊkən

quit1 the bust above my door!

USˈkwɪt ðə ˈbʌst əˈbʌv maɪ ˈdɔːr

UK ˈkwɪt ðə ˈbʌst əˈbʌv maɪ ˈdɔː

1 leave, exit.

Take thy beak from out my heart, and

USˈteɪk ðaɪ ˈbiːk frəm ˈaʊt maɪ ˈhɑːrt ənd

UK ˈteɪk ðaɪ ˈbiːk frəm ˈaʊt maɪ ˈhɑːt ənd
STANZA XVII 91

take thy form1 from off2 my door!”

US ˈteɪk ðaɪ ˈfɔːrm frəm ˈɔːf2 maɪ ˈdɔːr

UK ˈteɪk ðaɪ ˈfɔːm frəm ˈɒf2 maɪ ˈdɔː

1 a person or thing only the shape of which can be seen.

2 notice that “off” is always pronounced with an /f/ at the end,
whereas “of” is pronounced with /v/ (unless it precedes an unvoiced
consonant, such as /p/ or /t/), so these words generally don’t sound
the same in spoken language. As a little guide:

US: off /ɔːf/ or /ɑːf/ — of unstressed /əv/, of stressed /ˈʌv/

UK: off /ɒf/ — of unstressed /əv/, of stressed /ˈɒv/

Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.”

USˈkwoʊθ ðə ˈreɪvn ˌnɛvɚˈmɔːr

UK ˈkwəʊθ ðə ˈreɪvn ˌnɛvəˈmɔː

***

“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.”
 STANZA XVIII

And the Raven, never

flitting...
STANZA XVIII 93

And the Raven, never flitting1,

US ˈænd ðə ˈreɪvn ˈnɛvɚ ˈflɪtɪŋ

UK ˈænd ðə ˈreɪvn ˈnɛvə ˈflɪtɪŋ

1 moving quickly and nimbly.

still is sitting, still is sitting

US+UK ˈstɪl ɪz ˈsɪtɪŋ ˈstɪl ɪz ˈsɪtɪŋ

On the pallid1 bust of Pallas

US ˈɔn ðə ˈpælɪd ˈbʌst əv ˈpæləs

UK ˈɒn ðə ˈpælɪd ˈbʌst əv ˈpæləs

1 pale or weak in appearance.

just above my chamber door;

US ˈdʒʌst əˈbʌv maɪ ˈtʃeɪmbɚ ˈdɔːr

UK ˈdʒʌst əˈbʌv maɪ ˈtʃeɪmbə ˈdɔː

And his eyes have all the seeming1

US+UK ənd hɪz ˈaɪz həv ˈɔːl ðə ˈsiːmɪŋ

1 outer appearance.
AND THE RAVEN, NEVER FLITTING... 94

of a demon’s1 that is dreaming,

US+UK əv ə ˈdiːmənz ðət ɪz ˈdriːmɪŋ

1 historically, ’s was a marker of the so-called genitive (or possessive)

case in English, and the preposition “of” calls for a noun in the genit-
ive. This usage still survived when talking about people: It is possible
(but not necessary) to say, for example, “she is a friend of Jane’s”, in-
stead of “she is a friend of Jane.” The form “of someone’s” is called
the double possessive.

Note that it is not possible to use the double possessive when talking
about inanimate objects; “it is a leg of a chair’s” does not sound nat-
ural. On the other hand, the genitive case must be used when talking
about pronouns, such as “a friend of mine/yours/hers”, not “a friend
of me/you/her”.

And the lamp-light o’er him streaming

US ənd ðə ˈlæmplaɪt ˈɔːr hɪm ˈstriːmɪŋ

UK ənd ðə ˈlæmplaɪt ˈɔː hɪm ˈstriːmɪŋ

throws1 his shadow on the floor;

US ˈθroʊz hɪz ˈʃædoʊ ˈɔn ðə ˈflɔːr

UK ˈθrəʊz hɪz ˈʃædəʊ ˈɒn ðə ˈflɔː

1 we would more commonly speak about “casting a shadow”, but

“throwing a shadow” is an expression meaning the same sometimes
found in literature.
STANZA XVIII 95

And my soul from out that shadow

US ənd maɪ ˈsoʊl frəm ˈaʊt ðæt ˈʃædoʊ

UK ənd maɪ ˈsəʊl frəm ˈaʊt ðæt ˈʃædəʊ

that lies floating on the floor

USðət laɪz ˈfloʊtɪŋ ˈɔn ðə ˈflɔːr

UK ðət laɪz ˈfləʊtɪŋ ˈɒn ðə ˈflɔː

Shall be lifted—nevermore!

US ʃæl bi ˈlɪftɪd ˌnɛvɚˈmɔːr

UK ʃæl bi ˈlɪftɪd ˌnɛvəˈmɔː

The last two lines say that the speaker’s spirits shall never be raised
from the shadow cast by the Raven. In other words, he gave up; he
will not try to climb up from the shadow of sadness.

***
You’ve finished reading the whole poem! Now, before reading the
whole poem from the beginning till the end, repeat this stanza first:

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!
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—
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
“’Tis some visiter,” 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 visiter entreating entrance at my chamber door—
Some late visiter 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 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.”

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 sad soul 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!
 Final words

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 Alphabetical Index
adore ......................................... 85
agreeing .................................... 52
Aidenn ...................................... 86
alliteration ................................ 13
allusion ..................................... 43
and ............................................. 11
aptly ........................................... 60
art ............................................... 47
ashore ........................................ 80
assonance ................................. 18
at ease ........................................ 71
bear ............................................ 52
beast ........................................... 53
beguiling ............................ 46, 65
betook ....................................... 66
bleak .......................................... 17
blessed ....................................... 52
bore ............................................ 51
bosom ....................................... 70
burden ...................................... 61
burning ..................................... 37
bust ............................................ 43
censer ........................................ 75
chamber ................................... 14
clasp ........................................... 86
consonants ................................. 8
core ............................................ 70
countenance ............................ 46
craven ........................................ 47
crest ........................................... 47
croaking .................................... 67
curious ...................................... 12
curtain ....................................... 23
cushioned ................................. 65
decorum ................................... 46
demon’s .................................... 94
denser ........................................ 75
desolate ..................................... 81
devil ........................................... 80
dirges ......................................... 62
Disaster ..................................... 61
discourse .................................. 51
distinctly ................................... 17
divining .................................... 70
dost ............................................ 48
double possessive .................. 94
doubtless .................................. 60
dreary ........................................ 11
dying ......................................... 17
eagerly ...................................... 18
ease ............................................ 71
ebony ........................................ 46
ember ........................................ 17
embrace .................................... 86
enchanted ................................ 81
engaged .................................... 70
entrance .................................... 24
entreat ....................................... 24
evil .............................................. 80
exhausted ................................. 11
eye rhyme ................................ 80
faintly ........................................ 28
fancy ................................... 46, 66
fantastic .................................... 23
fatigued ..................................... 11
fear ............................................. 32
feathers ..................................... 47
fiery ........................................... 70
flirt ............................................. 41
flitting ....................................... 93
flung .......................................... 41
flutter ........................................ 41
fluttered .................................... 57
folklore ..................................... 13
foot-falls ................................... 75
form ........................................... 91
fowl ............................................ 51
gaunt .......................................... 67
genitive ..................................... 94
gently ........................................ 28
ghastly ................................ 48, 67
ghost .......................................... 17
Gilead ........................................ 82
gloated ...................................... 71
goest ........................................... 48
grave .......................................... 46
grim ..................................... 48, 67
grow denser ............................. 75
hath ............................................ 76
haunted ..................................... 81
havoc ......................................... 18
help ............................................ 52
here ............................................ 29
hesitate ...................................... 27
Hope .......................................... 62
Hopes ........................................ 58
implore ..................................... 27
IPA ................................................ 7
kind ............................................ 77
laden .......................................... 85
lattice ......................................... 38
Lenore ....................................... 19
lining ......................................... 71
linking ....................................... 66
lordly ......................................... 48
lore ............................................. 12
maiden ...................................... 20
many a ...................................... 12
marvel ....................................... 51
melancholy .............................. 62
methinks .................................. 75
methought ............................... 75
mien .......................................... 42
monosyllabic ............................. 7
morrow .............................. 18, 57
mortal ........................................ 32
murmur .................................... 34
mutter ....................................... 14
napping ..................................... 13
necessity ................................... 47
nepenthe .................................. 77
Nevermore .............................. 49
nodded ...................................... 13
o’er ............................................. 71
obeisance .................................. 42
of yore ....................................... 41
off ............................................... 91
ominous ................................... 66
outpour ..................................... 56
Pallas .......................................... 43
pallid .......................................... 93
parting ....................................... 89
peer ............................................ 32
perched ..................................... 42
placid ......................................... 56
plainly ....................................... 51
plume ........................................ 90
Plutonian .................................. 49
pondered .................................. 11
possessive ................................. 94
possibility ................................. 47
presently ................................... 27
prophet ..................................... 80
quaff .......................................... 77
quaint ........................................ 12
quethe ....................................... 49
quit ............................................. 90
quoth ......................................... 49
R .................................................... 9
radiant ....................................... 20
rapping ..................................... 14
rare ............................................. 20
recline ....................................... 71
respite ....................................... 77
rustling ...................................... 23
said I .......................................... 27
sainted ....................................... 86
scarce ......................................... 29
scarcely ..................................... 57
seeming .................................... 93
Seraphim .................................. 75
shorn ......................................... 47
shriek ......................................... 89
shutter ....................................... 41
sight rhyme ............................. 80
silken ......................................... 23
sinking ....................................... 66
some one .................................. 14
sorrow ................................. 19, 85
sought ........................................ 18
startled ...................................... 60
stately ........................................ 41
stern ........................................... 46
still ....................................... 24, 38
stillness ............................... 33, 60
stock ........................................... 60
stood .......................................... 24
store ........................................... 60
stress ............................................ 7
strong form ....................... 11, 17
subjunctive .............................. 47
surcease .................................... 19
tapping ...................................... 13
tempest ..................................... 80
Tempter ................................... 80
terrors ....................................... 23
thee ...................................... 47, 76
thereat ....................................... 38
thou ............................................ 47
thought ..................................... 11
thrill ........................................... 23
throw shadow ......................... 94
thy .............................................. 47
tinkled ....................................... 75
tired ........................................... 11
tis ................................................ 14
token .......................................... 33
tossed ......................................... 80
truly ........................................... 27
tufted ......................................... 76
unbroken .................................. 33
undaunted ................................ 81
under one’s breath ................ 14
ungainly ............................. 51, 67
unmerciful ............................... 61
unseen ....................................... 75
upstarting ................................. 89
uttered ....................................... 56
vainly ......................................... 18
velvet ......................................... 66
Virginia ..................................... 19
visiter ......................................... 14
visual rhyme ........................... 80
volume ...................................... 12
vowels .......................................... 8
wander ...................................... 48
weak form ......................... 11, 17
weary ......................................... 11
wheeled ..................................... 65
wife ............................................ 19
work ........................................... 18
wreak ......................................... 18
wretch ....................................... 76
wrought .................................... 17
yore ..................................... 41, 66
you ............................................. 47
’s .................................................. 94
’tis ............................................... 14