Nan the Cowdog in my junior year of high school my english teacher had us read the poem & listen 2 this. when i listened i pictured simba laying on his back & mufasa reading it 2 him 4 a bedtime story
Had a buddy who owned a raven (not sure if it was legal or not), the thing was actually pretty big, about the size of a parrot. It said all sorts of things and imitated the sound of a modem, this was back when everyone used dialup. It's favorite thing to say around new people was "Never More" because they would fawn over it and give it treats. The thing was REALLY smart, and knew how to work people.
James Earl Jones could release an album of him reading soup ingredients, and I would buy it, and keep it on repeat in my CD player all damn day long. His voice is so wonderful.
The Raven is the greatest poem ever written, narrated by the King of the Golden Baritone Voice, James Earl Jones. God bless you, James Earl Jones! Quoth the Raven...Nevermore!
I like to think this is from some strange alternate reality where Darth Vader is reading this to Luke and Leia to make them to go sleep on All Hallow's Eve.
O_O WHAAAAAAAAT?!!!!!! THIS IS SOOO EPIC I CAN'T EVEN... What!? The voice of one of the coolest characters ever James Earl Jones reading my favorite writer ever? This is just too much!
His voice here is absolutely perfect for the mood of the poem. We are so used to hearing Jones' voice as an instrument of power, yet he emotes a certain touch of vulnerability, tinged with a slight fear that his veneer of placidity will crack, exposing the hurt and scared individual behind his masculine demeanor. It's perfect for this poem, which I've always regarded as a work of tragedy first, then horror. Not to mention, his voice itself is simply beautiful.
The Raven, by Edgar Allen Poe is an example of a fabulous ability to use the English language. The brilliant Poe uses an array of poetic devices to portray a terrifying state of mind. James Earl Jones steps up to the plate with an eerie and perfect reading of this tongue twister. It gave me goose bumps!!
I've always thought that the Raven was the abyss within him. I always pictured the raven as the incarnation of the darkness within the man. By darkness I mean all the uncertainty and fear one experiences. It is all the questions and unanswered cries. And when the man asks the raven what his name was, I think that he was asking himself who he was. And all the raven ever said was "Nevermore"
I never have really thought of this as a 'horror' classic, it's sad, really. He wrote this over a time while his wife was dying of consumption; and it's about what he was to be feeling when she finally succumbed to death. :( Beautiful and brilliant!!
James Earl Jones..... the voice that causes your heart to explode, your lungs to contract, your eyes to tear up, your nose to crinkle, your mouth to drop open, and your hormones to go crazy.
Awesome. AWESOME. Simply awesome. Came about this looking for the Simpsons version and was pleasantly surprised to find he actually recorded the whole thing. What a voice.
James Earl Jones delivers with a voice like golden gravel. Rapturously shaded in meditative gloom. One can never get enough of this master actor and the masterwork he recites here. I have tried it myself this week, put The Raven up, gave it a go. What a difficult, dense, moving piece -- and getting to its heart is a compelling challenge. I invite all to see what I have done with the poem. Meanwhile -- thanks for the time with the prodigious Jones!
I'm so glad this exists. Ever since seeing the Simpsons version I have wondered on and off over the years if there's a complete version of him reading this. No, this is not read by a fictional character - it's read by the great actor James Earl Jones.
Awesome! Thank you for sharing this. The inimitable voice of James Earl Jones' reading of Edgar Allan Poe's brilliant poem is captivating. Jones simultaneously breathes life into the poem, yet makes one hold one's breath in fear. They are both national treasures!
"Here I opened wide the door. Darkness there and nothing more." That image gives me goosebumps. Having James Earl Jones read it makes it all the more scary in its simplicity.
Edgar Allen Poe is the poet who brought to me the wonderful world of poetry. Whenever I lack/lose my flare for writing poetry I listen/read Poe. Tis' truly an inspiring poet!! If only I could have meet him..
James Earl Jones does indeed have an awesome bass voice!!! Also, maybe I should do a dramatic reading of this (or maybe something else) in my Tony Jay impression!
Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore- While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door. “’Tis some visitor,” I muttered, “tapping at my chamber door- Only this and nothing more.” Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December; And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor. Eagerly I wished the morrow;-vainly I had sought to borrow From my books surcease of sorrow-sorrow for the lost Lenore- For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore- Nameless here for evermore. And the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain Thrilled me-filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before; So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating “’Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door- Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door;- This it is and nothing more.” Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer, “Sir,” said I, “or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore; But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping, And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door, That I scarce was sure I heard you”-here I opened wide the door;- Darkness there and nothing more. Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing, Doubting, dreaming dreams no 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 farther 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 fancy 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!
I remember when I was in 7th grade, my 7th grade teacher read this to me. I loved this! When she read it, she turned off all the lights and had one lamp on. This is awesome!
The poem is a depiction of clinical depression, is it not? Just like schizophrenia pours out of the works of Franz Kafka. I love art that transmits a certain state of consciousness of the human mind.
+boycot gugle Perhaps. Uncle Edgar wrote this poem, as I recall, about his beloved wife after she passed. (Yes, I am actually related to Edgar Allan Poe, as his adoptive father is my 4x-great-grandfather.)
Michelle Czarnecki aka Boogawes Hey there, thanks for your friendly post :) I've no way of validating your claim and in the end, IMHO who we descend from isn't really important (since it is fate/random and not our own personal achievement), however, notwithstanding that, congratulations if it's true. Must feel good. Also, since our cultural evolution has far outpaced the biological one, we can really claim to be the children of anyone we admire anyway, (therefore) dear "sister" ;) What you say makes much sense. I found the content of the poem far too deep to be about a normal bout of heartsickness. Being rejected feels awful, but describing oneself as being freed from the despair (the soul lifted from the shadow) *nevermore*, points to a much more thorough traumatization. Therefore, I related it to clinical depression, which of course, is not simple sadness or melancholy, but a soul shattering numbness inside, that seems to have you stuck forever in a bad dream. (Yes, I have glimpsed into the Raven's fiery gaze myself more than once.) I would have loved to exchange a few letters or have a conversation with good Edgar (and let's invite Kafka, Nietzsche and Freud for good measure as well!). Maybe we will in the afterlife/Elysium/Valhalla/spirit world etc.^^
I definitely agree with that! As for Edgar Allan Poe's relation to God, he was a Christian but struggled for his entire life to be sure. He would experience alternating periods of belief and doubt, which ended with a deathbed plea for God's forgivness and mercy. I believe he is in Heaven as such. Concerning the heartsickness, he never really reconnected to anyone romantically until the end of his life, many years after Virginia Poe's death. As I recall, at least two of his darker poems are about her death and how he longs to be with her, considering life as pointless without her in it.
VerathianWarPath Either because you are full oh shit and just trolling (or you are right and all the other alleged descendants are not), or you underestimate the exponential function. It's likely that Almost every European is somehow related to Charlemagne, or Alexander the Great (or basically any hobo able to travel many generations ago). If your descendants don't interbreed heavily, then the number of people related to you grows exponentially. That's a lot of people over time. ...Maybe a combination of factors. Or we are just falling victim to observer bias, as with all statistics....
“Join me and together we can rule the galaxy as father and son”
“Quoth the raven ‘Nevermore’"
Why you little...!
Niiiccccceeeee!
"Remember"...
@Régisseur Moustachu Farfelu Bart, stop it! He says “nevermore” and that’s all he’ll ever say.
@Régisseur Moustachu Farfelu Lisa: Bart, stop it! He says “nevermore” and that’s all he’ll ever say.
Look simba: everything the light touches is out kingdom. Only this, and nothing more
Quote the lion: Hakuna Matata
in my junior year of high school my english teacher had us listen 2 this & read it. when we did i pictured mufasa reading it 2 simba 4 a bedtime story
The Raven: By Darth Vader.
quoth the raven....NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!
My favorite role of James Earl Jones is Mufasa in THE LION KING franchise.
Joe's Variety Channel ditto! i can picture him reading this 2 simba 4 a bedtime story
The Raven read by Tulsa Doom
Byron Gamez The Raven by Mufasa
Poe really gives every writer past, present and future a lesson with this one.
So this is what Mufasa did in his spare time!
Mufasa channeling his inner Darth Vader
haha
Nan the Cowdog in my junior year of high school my english teacher had us read the poem & listen 2 this. when i listened i pictured simba laying on his back & mufasa reading it 2 him 4 a bedtime story
Vader
Hearing James Earl Jones reading this poem is both somewhat creepy and slightly calming at the same time. It really captures the mood of the poem.
pee
Had a buddy who owned a raven (not sure if it was legal or not), the thing was actually pretty big, about the size of a parrot. It said all sorts of things and imitated the sound of a modem, this was back when everyone used dialup. It's favorite thing to say around new people was "Never More" because they would fawn over it and give it treats. The thing was REALLY smart, and knew how to work people.
The Raven was meant to be a parrot, but Poe thought it wouldn't fit such a dark story, so he changed it.
+Horzcoch Johnson Ravens are quite smart animals.
Myna bird.
Good lord! This is the best reading of this I've ever heard. Pronunciation, rhyme, meter, acting. Superb.
You should hear it in the Simpsons Treehouse of Horror 1. JEJ's words accompanied by the comedy styling of the Simpsons works surprisingly well.
yeah, but Nancy Cartwright did a terrible job as the bart raven, and that ruins it for me. very flat.
jerk chicken you should listen to the Christopher lee version of this , his voice draws you into the story
Agree.
Kaizer Convoy stfu
James Earl Jones could release an album of him reading soup ingredients, and I would buy it, and keep it on repeat in my CD player all damn day long. His voice is so wonderful.
He totally should.
Bart: "You know what would have been scarier than 'nothing'?"
Lisa: "What?"
Bart: "ANYTHING!"
Quoth the raven: " EAT MY SHORTS!"
This better be good !
That episode is genuinely the reason I love this poem
Baaaart! He’s establishing mood.
Quoth the raven, "eat my shorts"
Jack Nurzinski fuck you
America first someone clearly doesn't enjoy the simpsons
lmao thats how i know what this is
Jack Nurzinski “Bart, he’s establishing mood” Lisa
No Bart he said Nevermore and that all he will ever say
The Raven is the greatest poem ever written, narrated by the King of the Golden Baritone Voice, James Earl Jones. God bless you, James Earl Jones!
Quoth the Raven...Nevermore!
I like to think this is from some strange alternate reality where Darth Vader is reading this to Luke and Leia to make them to go sleep on All Hallow's Eve.
omahamaho babe a.k.a. an alternate reality.
Love it!!
Someone's used this reading to make a Darth Vader version that's very convincing.
just before Love day
@1:40 'Darkness there, and nothing more'
Goosebumps every time
Finally a version without music and sound effects. Thank you !!!
"Perched and sat"
Best line he says in this poem.
He has an amazing voice for narration!
The part in which he says "Darkness there, and nothing more!" sends shivers down my spine. Such an awesome voice - and a great poem.
Mufasa reading bedtime stories to Simba.
in my junior year of high school my english teacher had us read the poem & listen 2 this. thats what i pictured when i listened
O_O WHAAAAAAAAT?!!!!!! THIS IS SOOO EPIC I CAN'T EVEN... What!? The voice of one of the coolest characters ever James Earl Jones reading my favorite writer ever? This is just too much!
Surprisingly, I also can't even.
* farts *
Eugh God remember when people used to talk like this?
The most aesthetically pleasing piece of writing ever composed.
His voice here is absolutely perfect for the mood of the poem. We are so used to hearing Jones' voice as an instrument of power, yet he emotes a certain touch of vulnerability, tinged with a slight fear that his veneer of placidity will crack, exposing the hurt and scared individual behind his masculine demeanor.
It's perfect for this poem, which I've always regarded as a work of tragedy first, then horror.
Not to mention, his voice itself is simply beautiful.
Darth Vader sure knows how to read a poem!
I was just thinking someone should overlap some Vader breathing. Lol. Maybe some John Williams.
+sandcrawler200 I guess I'll try to do that!
Kurios4Life08 so does mufasa
The Raven, by Edgar Allen Poe is an example of a fabulous ability to use the English language. The brilliant Poe uses an array of poetic devices to portray a terrifying state of mind. James Earl Jones steps up to the plate with an eerie and perfect reading of this tongue twister. It gave me goose bumps!!
I've always thought that the Raven was the abyss within him. I always pictured the raven as the incarnation of the darkness within the man. By darkness I mean all the uncertainty and fear one experiences. It is all the questions and unanswered cries. And when the man asks the raven what his name was, I think that he was asking himself who he was. And all the raven ever said was "Nevermore"
I never have really thought of this as a 'horror' classic, it's sad, really. He wrote this over a time while his wife was dying of consumption; and it's about what he was to be feeling when she finally succumbed to death. :( Beautiful and brilliant!!
James Earl Jones..... the voice that causes your heart to explode, your lungs to contract, your eyes to tear up, your nose to crinkle, your mouth to drop open, and your hormones to go crazy.
Your arms get heavy, knees weak, palms are sweaty there's vomit on your sweater already, moms spaggetti
his voice is insane
Poe was great writer and poet. Only a voice as incredible as James Earl Jones can recite The Raven so deeply.
my god he has the best voice EVER
Awesome. AWESOME. Simply awesome.
Came about this looking for the Simpsons version and was pleasantly surprised to find he actually recorded the whole thing. What a voice.
He and Morgan Freeman are perfect for things like this.
I could listen to him read twilight
When I think "What is the perfect voice for a man? Powerfull, gentle and unmistakable", I think... Mufasa! I love James Earl Jone's voice.
This voice is giving me goose bumps ...... amazing lol
Soo wonderful to listen to it on a november evening. ^^
Precisely my thoughts.
James Earl Jones delivers with a voice like golden gravel. Rapturously shaded in meditative gloom. One can never get enough of this master actor and the masterwork he recites here. I have tried it myself this week, put The Raven up, gave it a go. What a difficult, dense, moving piece -- and getting to its heart is a compelling challenge. I invite all to see what I have done with the poem. Meanwhile -- thanks for the time with the prodigious Jones!
The most hypnotic voice ever. James Earl Jones could recite the alphabet and I would listen, entranced!
I'm so glad this exists. Ever since seeing the Simpsons version I have wondered on and off over the years if there's a complete version of him reading this. No, this is not read by a fictional character - it's read by the great actor James Earl Jones.
2019 vibe check
This is the greatest American poem.
Awesome! Thank you for sharing this. The inimitable voice of James Earl Jones' reading of Edgar Allan Poe's brilliant poem is captivating. Jones simultaneously breathes life into the poem, yet makes one hold one's breath in fear. They are both national treasures!
"Here I opened wide the door. Darkness there and nothing more."
That image gives me goosebumps. Having James Earl Jones read it makes it all the more scary in its simplicity.
My Ears have been to heaven and back within the time period of 7 minutes
Edgar Allen Poe is the poet who brought to me the wonderful world of poetry. Whenever I lack/lose my flare for writing poetry I listen/read Poe. Tis' truly an inspiring poet!! If only I could have meet him..
My favourite poem. Well read and articulated. Masterful writing.
Fucking goosebumps! In my opinion, Poe is, by far, the very best of literary geniuses ever to have walked this earth.
i needed music to not creep me, this sends chills
DOWN
MY
SPINE
SPOOKY SCARY SKELETONS SEND SHIVERS DOWN YOUR SPINE
They only want to socialise
but I don't think you should.
Happy birthday, Edgar Allen Poe!
My favorite poem of all time. James Earl Jones reciting it just makes it better!
Anyone else envisioning Darth Vader saying this o.O
Sorry, I hear Mufasa.
Now i'm envisioning this!
Laurin Bronson what i said?
actually both!
CSXfoamer97 so do i
my favorite thing on youtube
It really does make me happy that there are nigh on half a million who share a love for such great art.
Fabulous! His voice sends shivers down my spine.
I want Morgan Freeman to read this.
Oswaldo Restrepo ...except that’s Samuel L Jackson 🤔
Tenstim Dabis - th-cam.com/video/krrZ2IV7n6Y/w-d-xo.html
can anybody else picture mufasa reading this 2 simba 4 a bedtime story?
More like darth vader reading this to Luke.
+popsingerstar I can't. I just picture James himself reading it aloud beside me.
*to *for
i think it would be Scar reading it to scare Simba
i know but i just like talking using internet slang
Cerebral massage his voice is.Deeply soothing.
Wow. Love James Earl Jones and Edgar Alan Poe. Awesome!
2019 checking in!
2020
@@alexquintero41792023!
James Earl Jones: Quoth the Raven.
Bart: Eat my shorts!
Finally I've been waiting for that comment
America first Eat my shorts.
Would love James Earl Jones to read more of Poe's work. He has the perfect voice to set the scene.
I adore this poem and this version of this poem. Mr. Jones has a flawless voice.
James Earl Jones does indeed have an awesome bass voice!!! Also, maybe I should do a dramatic reading of this (or maybe something else) in my Tony Jay impression!
Luke I am...
going to show you my favorite poem
THANK YOU FOR THIS!!!! I love this version! I cann't thank you enough, Mr Jones has such a beautiful voice for this poem!
Mufaasssaaaaaa!!
What a good dad, reading to Simba. :D
It's rarther intesting how close the autosubs get at times.
Simba!!! You have deliberately disobeyed me.
James Earl Jones Voice and an Edgar Allen Poe poem voice over heaven right here
Hauntingly beautiful.
This should be the voice of Darkseid in Justice League.
Quoth the Raven: "I'm your father."
If I was Poe, I would want to be remembered by this poem with the reading by James Earl Jones.
Best reading EVER!
I think this is the best retelling of the Raven
Who else's jizzez when he says nevermore
Why you little!
The fact that this exists fills me with a joy I can't describe.
James Earl Jones has the perfect voice to recite " The Raven"~Thank you for posting~
Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore-
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
“’Tis some visitor,” I muttered, “tapping at my chamber door-
Only this and nothing more.”
Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December;
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.
Eagerly I wished the morrow;-vainly I had sought to borrow
From my books surcease of sorrow-sorrow for the lost Lenore-
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore-
Nameless here for evermore.
And the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain
Thrilled me-filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;
So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating
“’Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door-
Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door;-
This it is and nothing more.”
Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,
“Sir,” said I, “or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore;
But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping,
And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door,
That I scarce was sure I heard you”-here I opened wide the door;-
Darkness there and nothing more.
Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,
Doubting, dreaming dreams no 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 farther 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 fancy 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!
Padme must be Lenore....
I remember when I was in 7th grade, my 7th grade teacher read this to me.
I loved this!
When she read it, she turned off all the lights and had one lamp on.
This is awesome!
This is awesome. What a voice.
The raven read by: Mufasa!
*Darth Vader
Darth Vader shows his light side :)
I was thinking the same!
Yet this is dark
This is the BEST!!! James Earl Jones has the Greatest voice. Hands DOWN!
my favorite one! So.....attractive voice
67 people will be force choked
imagine darth vader reading this oh wait he is
creepy!!! vader? srsly? i swore i heard vader's breathing
actually... no.
brilliant. his voice suits this so much.
This is one of my absolute favorite poem of all time!
The poem is a depiction of clinical depression, is it not? Just like schizophrenia pours out of the works of Franz Kafka. I love art that transmits a certain state of consciousness of the human mind.
+boycot gugle Perhaps. Uncle Edgar wrote this poem, as I recall, about his beloved wife after she passed. (Yes, I am actually related to Edgar Allan Poe, as his adoptive father is my 4x-great-grandfather.)
Michelle Czarnecki aka Boogawes
Hey there, thanks for your friendly post :) I've no way of validating your claim and in the end, IMHO who we descend from isn't really important (since it is fate/random and not our own personal achievement), however, notwithstanding that, congratulations if it's true. Must feel good. Also, since our cultural evolution has far outpaced the biological one, we can really claim to be the children of anyone we admire anyway, (therefore) dear "sister" ;)
What you say makes much sense. I found the content of the poem far too deep to be about a normal bout of heartsickness. Being rejected feels awful, but describing oneself as being freed from the despair (the soul lifted from the shadow) *nevermore*, points to a much more thorough traumatization. Therefore, I related it to clinical depression, which of course, is not simple sadness or melancholy, but a soul shattering numbness inside, that seems to have you stuck forever in a bad dream. (Yes, I have glimpsed into the Raven's fiery gaze myself more than once.)
I would have loved to exchange a few letters or have a conversation with good Edgar (and let's invite Kafka, Nietzsche and Freud for good measure as well!). Maybe we will in the afterlife/Elysium/Valhalla/spirit world etc.^^
I definitely agree with that! As for Edgar Allan Poe's relation to God, he was a Christian but struggled for his entire life to be sure. He would experience alternating periods of belief and doubt, which ended with a deathbed plea for God's forgivness and mercy. I believe he is in Heaven as such.
Concerning the heartsickness, he never really reconnected to anyone romantically until the end of his life, many years after Virginia Poe's death. As I recall, at least two of his darker poems are about her death and how he longs to be with her, considering life as pointless without her in it.
VerathianWarPath
Either because you are full oh shit and just trolling (or you are right and all the other alleged descendants are not), or you underestimate the exponential function. It's likely that Almost every European is somehow related to Charlemagne, or Alexander the Great (or basically any hobo able to travel many generations ago). If your descendants don't interbreed heavily, then the number of people related to you grows exponentially. That's a lot of people over time.
...Maybe a combination of factors. Or we are just falling victim to observer bias, as with all statistics....
ur so smart pls teach me
I have to draw this poem In a picture with value no words. Bs
I have to memorize it *sighs*
BRAVO!!! Read PERFECTLY!!! 👏🏽👏🏽
THE BEST. No one can read "The Raven" like Mr. James Earl Jones. It's his voice. For this poem, you need a deep strong voice.
Nice, but I prefer Sir Christopher Lee's version
amazing voice , so rich.
Who the hell would dislike this? Classic!
I've been addicted to this poem
This gave me chills down my spine! LOVE it!
This is pure gold.
Can't unsee!
I will never get tired of listening to this.
Best narrator of this one on TH-cam.