Elizabeth it is in vain you say
"Love not" — thou sayest it in so sweet a way:
In vain those words from thee or L. E. L.
Zantippe's talents had enforced so well:
Ah! if that language from thy heart arise,
Breathe it less gently forth — and veil thine eyes.
Endymion, recollect, when Luna tried
To cure his love — was cured of all beside —
His folly — pride — and passion — for he died.
Notes
Poetic form: acrostic
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Comments
1 - 11 of 11
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GREAT
THIS IS SIMPLE AND SWEET AND SAYS HIS LOVE FOR ELIZABETH -
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Reflective
From guest Raven Dark (contact)
Ahh wishes I thy face to look upon, the time Thou had the gift and yours alone- Could paint a picture of a sullen love, Ahh weep ye heart of mine, if that's enough. Master of enormous sadness and sweet solitude, My applause to thee... Raven Dark. -
The last line is without a doubt my favorite.
His folly — pride — and passion — for he died.
What poetic brilliance and beauty.
This is absolutely stunning, oh how I wish I could applaud Poe himself for such a marvelous work.
S -
Oh the pain of love! Somehow I find this to have deep underlying sadness. Almost as if he's been rejected by the one he writes of.
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I never seen this till tonight that Edgar Allan Poe write this type of poetry which I thought is fine. I have dabble with this type of poetry and I will keep on reading this type of poetry till I get it right. Poe is a true master of poetry. I would rank this poetry along with Shakespeare
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I have never read this before! I love it htough he sure love Elizabeth for he writes about her often in his work. I like the poetry but what really caught me on to the Poe frinzy was his stories who can hate tales like The Black Cat, or Buried Alive, Pit and The Pengulum. Without Poe the world of poetry would not ever be as popular as it is now. The other great writers fade in comparison to Poe. The true master of Poetry!
Donnia -
Now this surprises me. I have no idea why, but I did not realize that acrostics went back so far in history and I can honestly say in all of my ignorance, this is the first one I have read that dates back any length of time, let alone one by Poe. I have certainly learned something new today!
♥ Kimberly -
Elbryn,
You right about the name Xanthippe ( Zantippe ) It's believed that Poe deliberatley miss-spelt the name to fit the acrostic.
The initials L.E.L. is believed to represent the English poetess Letitia Elizabeth Landon (1802-1838). All her poetry was signed L.E.L.
Andrew
Oldpoetry team -
Hey this is good, never come across this one before. Trust Poe to end it with death
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this is a very unusual, but effective tribute.......he is worthy of every comment, every word, every syllable put to paper..........thanks for the sentiment.........very nicely presented...........
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Kittyom~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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lovely to read!
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Edgar Allan Poe is incredible. I've never seen this piece. Perhaps someone can explain "L.E.L." to me.
On line four, it's Xantippe if, of course, he is referring to the wife of Socrates, which is all that I can relate it to.
The Endymion reference is wonderful, I think he's trying to say that he is staying his pride in persuit of Elizabeth. There is alot more to this poem than I am aware, perhaps someone can explain.
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