April is the national poetry month and I cannot help remembering one of Poe's shortest yet greatest poems: "Sonnet- To Zante".
Upon his first literary steps, Poe famously said the phrase "If the poem is published, succeed or not, I am 'irrecoverably a poet," and his love for the art of poetry was undeniably affected by his affection for the Hellenes.
Below you may find the entire poem:
Thy gentlest of all gentle names dost take!
How many memories of what radiant hours
At sight of thee and thine at once awake!
How many scenes of what departed bliss!
How many thoughts of what entombed hopes!
How many visions of a maiden that is
No more- no more upon thy verdant slopes!
No more! alas, that magical sad sound
Transforming all! Thy charms shall please no more-
Thy memory no more! Accursed ground
Henceforth I hold thy flower-enameled shore,
O hyacinthine isle! O purple Zante!
"Isola d'oro! Fior di Levante!"
Its elegiac tone, its rime, its punctuation, all testify that Poe had not finished the poem when it was first published. Poe directly refers to the beauty of Zante, otherwise known as Zacynthos, one of the seven Ionian islands. Poe was a Hellenophile and his reference to the Greek island is not accidental; he knew that Byron's body had been in the state of Zante.
Which is your favourite poem? Feel free to comment and discuss.
A sonnet master, this guy. I wish my author would have even considered, at least once, the possibility of writing poetry. Doing research on narrative is all grand and funny and stuff but more often than not, when I am in need of poetic virtuosity, I have to go back to Willy Shaky or others to heal myself from the wounds of long, neverending lines. Poe must be a great author to study and do research on, so versatile! Congrats for the blog man, it looks all neat and professional!
ReplyDeleteHe was a troubled person, and he created most of his woes on his own for the most part. Yet he was talented. "If the poem is published, succeed or not, I am irrecoverably a poet," he said once. Thanks for your comment! I truly appreciate it
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