"Spirits of the Dead" was first published in 1829 under the title "Visits of the Dead," in Poe's "Tamerlane and Other Poems." Edgar changed the title when publishing "Al Aaraaf, Tamerlane, and Minor Poems" two years later.
"Spirits of the Dead"
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"Thy soul shall find itself alone
'Mid dark thoughts of the grey tomb-stone;
Not one, of all the crowd, to pry
Into thine hour of secrecy.
Be silent in that
solitude,
Which is not loneliness- for then
The spirits of the dead, who stood
In life before thee, are again
In death around thee, and their will
Shall overshadow thee; be still.
Which is not loneliness- for then
The spirits of the dead, who stood
In life before thee, are again
In death around thee, and their will
Shall overshadow thee; be still.
The night, though
clear, shall frown,
And the stars shall not look down
From their high thrones in the Heaven
With light like hope to mortals given,
But their red orbs, without beam,
To thy weariness shall seem
As a burning and a fever
Which would cling to thee for ever.
And the stars shall not look down
From their high thrones in the Heaven
With light like hope to mortals given,
But their red orbs, without beam,
To thy weariness shall seem
As a burning and a fever
Which would cling to thee for ever.
Now are thoughts thou
shalt not banish,
Now are visions ne'er to vanish;
From thy spirit shall they pass
No more, like dew-drop from the grass.
Now are visions ne'er to vanish;
From thy spirit shall they pass
No more, like dew-drop from the grass.
The breeze, the
breath of God, is still,
And the mist upon the hill
And the mist upon the hill
Shadowy, shadowy, yet
unbroken,
Is a symbol and a token.
How it hangs upon the trees,
A mystery of mysteries! "
Is a symbol and a token.
How it hangs upon the trees,
A mystery of mysteries! "
-Edgar Allan Poe
All Photos Copyright Bryan Ball Photography, All Rights Reserved.
Thank you Edgar and thank you Ghost for the photos. What a beautiful tribute......
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