As the poet cried for his Leanore
Cried out he in anguish "nevermore!"
The raven felt the word on its beak and spoke
"Nevermore, nevermore, nevermore" in amusement
He heard it and he liked it, a small child with a toy
Something shiny, meaningless, for him to adore.
Author notes
My first attempt at an epigram; please be nice.
If you have any criticisms, I can actually defend my choices for this piece.
In a list
A contest entry
- Epigrammatically Speaking by Peripatetic.
1500 points, ended November 12, 2008, 13 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Comments
1 - 7 of 7
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Superb
A very fine write, indeed. You expressed yourself quite well. Thanks for sharing this one with us. Again, well done.
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This poem would reveal the protagonist of Poe’s famous poem as too self absorbed in his grief to grasp that his antagonist has no ill-will or any consideration at all for him. It is a word to the wise that no matter how deeply affected we are by what happens in our individual life experiences, the world and all its creatures may find us less fascinating than a passing fancy.
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While I appreciate your observation, I must point out to you that the subjects in question are a poet-like character most likely under the influence of laudanum and consumed by grief, and a raven. I doubt that the raven has even the mental capacity to think of the grief-striken man as anything more than a passing fancy as you put it, juast as the passing fancy of a new word, or a shiny object; I would say that it is almost childlike in it's love for the new word it heard, like a small child when they learn a new word.
That, at least, was the stance from which I was writing my own work; I beleive that, in the actual poem, the raven is meant to be much more symbolic than an actual bird.
Thank you for your close attention to detail; I appreciate your comment ^_^ -
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I am pretty sure we are in agreement on all points.
In Poe's poem we are meant to identify with the anguish of the protagonist. The raven, his real or imagined antagonist, becomes a symbol of time which will nevermore allow any relief; rather, it will make the grief and anguish ever more sharp and unrelenting.
I found your poem a realistic response to Poe's romanticism. The raven is just a raven and "Nevermore" a shiny-sounding, passing fancy to the raven, as we both note. Your moral for any who identify with Poe's grief-stricken poet-protagonist is to understand that neither time nor the world is interested in mocking, sharpening or prolonging personal grief. The raven, even as a symbol of the world or time, has nothing against the poet or any who might identify with him. It simply does not care, lacking, as you note, even the capacity to do so.
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An interesting and thought provoking entry. Good luck to you
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Cute, great job. Best of luck in the contest.
Mike
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ahh..poe fan? either way nicely written. dnt think i could have done that..
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