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| 1 | +Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary, |
| 2 | +Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore, |
| 3 | +While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, |
| 4 | +As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door. |
| 5 | +`'Tis some visitor,' I muttered, `tapping at my chamber door - |
| 6 | +Only this, and nothing more.' |
| 7 | + |
| 8 | +Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December, |
| 9 | +And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor. |
| 10 | +Eagerly I wished the morrow; - vainly I had sought to borrow |
| 11 | +From my books surcease of sorrow - sorrow for the lost Lenore - |
| 12 | +For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels named Lenore - |
| 13 | +Nameless here for evermore. |
| 14 | + |
| 15 | +And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain |
| 16 | +Thrilled me - filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before; |
| 17 | +So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating |
| 18 | +`'Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door - |
| 19 | +Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door; - |
| 20 | +This it is, and nothing more,' |
| 21 | + |
| 22 | +Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer, |
| 23 | +`Sir,' said I, `or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore; |
| 24 | +But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping, |
| 25 | +And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door, |
| 26 | +That I scarce was sure I heard you' - here I opened wide the door; - |
| 27 | +Darkness there, and nothing more. |
| 28 | + |
| 29 | +Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing, |
| 30 | +Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before |
| 31 | +But the silence was unbroken, and the darkness gave no token, |
| 32 | +And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, `Lenore!' |
| 33 | +This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, `Lenore!' |
| 34 | +Merely this and nothing more. |
| 35 | + |
| 36 | +Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning, |
| 37 | +Soon again I heard a tapping somewhat louder than before. |
| 38 | +`Surely,' said I, `surely that is something at my window lattice; |
| 39 | +Let me see then, what thereat is, and this mystery explore - |
| 40 | +Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore; - |
| 41 | +'Tis the wind and nothing more!' |
| 42 | + |
| 43 | +Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter, |
| 44 | +In there stepped a stately raven of the saintly days of yore. |
| 45 | +Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he; |
| 46 | +But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door - |
| 47 | +Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door - |
| 48 | +Perched, and sat, and nothing more. |
| 49 | + |
| 50 | +Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling, |
| 51 | +By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore, |
| 52 | +`Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou,' I said, `art sure no craven. |
| 53 | +Ghastly grim and ancient raven wandering from the nightly shore - |
| 54 | +Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night's Plutonian shore!' |
| 55 | +Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.' |
| 56 | + |
| 57 | +Much I marvelled this ungainly fowl to hear discourse so plainly, |
| 58 | +Though its answer little meaning - little relevancy bore; |
| 59 | +For we cannot help agreeing that no living human being |
| 60 | +Ever yet was blessed with seeing bird above his chamber door - |
| 61 | +Bird or beast above the sculptured bust above his chamber door, |
| 62 | +With such name as `Nevermore.' |
| 63 | + |
| 64 | +But the raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only, |
| 65 | +That one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour. |
| 66 | +Nothing further then he uttered - not a feather then he fluttered - |
| 67 | +Till I scarcely more than muttered `Other friends have flown before - |
| 68 | +On the morrow he will leave me, as my hopes have flown before.' |
| 69 | +Then the bird said, `Nevermore.' |
| 70 | + |
| 71 | +Startled at the stillness broken by reply so aptly spoken, |
| 72 | +`Doubtless,' said I, `what it utters is its only stock and store, |
| 73 | +Caught from some unhappy master whom unmerciful disaster |
| 74 | +Followed fast and followed faster till his songs one burden bore - |
| 75 | +Till the dirges of his hope that melancholy burden bore |
| 76 | +Of "Never-nevermore."' |
| 77 | + |
| 78 | +But the raven still beguiling all my sad soul into smiling, |
| 79 | +Straight I wheeled a cushioned seat in front of bird and bust and door; |
| 80 | +Then, upon the velvet sinking, I betook myself to linking |
| 81 | +Fancy unto fancy, thinking what this ominous bird of yore - |
| 82 | +What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and ominous bird of yore |
| 83 | +Meant in croaking `Nevermore.' |
| 84 | + |
| 85 | +This I sat engaged in guessing, but no syllable expressing |
| 86 | +To the fowl whose fiery eyes now burned into my bosom's core; |
| 87 | +This and more I sat divining, with my head at ease reclining |
| 88 | +On the cushion's velvet lining that the lamp-light gloated o'er, |
| 89 | +But whose velvet violet lining with the lamp-light gloating o'er, |
| 90 | +She shall press, ah, nevermore! |
| 91 | + |
| 92 | +Then, methought, the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censer |
| 93 | +Swung by Seraphim whose foot-falls tinkled on the tufted floor. |
| 94 | +`Wretch,' I cried, `thy God hath lent thee - by these angels he has sent thee |
| 95 | +Respite - respite and nepenthe from thy memories of Lenore! |
| 96 | +Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe, and forget this lost Lenore!' |
| 97 | +Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.' |
| 98 | + |
| 99 | +`Prophet!' said I, `thing of evil! - prophet still, if bird or devil! - |
| 100 | +Whether tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore, |
| 101 | +Desolate yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted - |
| 102 | +On this home by horror haunted - tell me truly, I implore - |
| 103 | +Is there - is there balm in Gilead? - tell me - tell me, I implore!' |
| 104 | +Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.' |
| 105 | + |
| 106 | +`Prophet!' said I, `thing of evil! - prophet still, if bird or devil! |
| 107 | +By that Heaven that bends above us - by that God we both adore - |
| 108 | +Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn, |
| 109 | +It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels named Lenore - |
| 110 | +Clasp a rare and radiant maiden, whom the angels named Lenore?' |
| 111 | +Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.' |
| 112 | + |
| 113 | +`Be that word our sign of parting, bird or fiend!' I shrieked upstarting - |
| 114 | +`Get thee back into the tempest and the Night's Plutonian shore! |
| 115 | +Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken! |
| 116 | +Leave my loneliness unbroken! - quit the bust above my door! |
| 117 | +Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!' |
| 118 | +Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.' |
| 119 | + |
| 120 | +And the raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting |
| 121 | +On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door; |
| 122 | +And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming, |
| 123 | +And the lamp-light o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor; |
| 124 | +And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor |
| 125 | +Shall be lifted - nevermore! |
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