Reply ID: 9cb6
Letter to Paul Ormonde
28 Feb. 2013
#128

Salut Paul!

Glad to make your acquaintance, though I'm disappointed that you, rather than Tarah, replied to this note for her. She seemed a little scared + shy, which she has no reason to be with me. Anyway, a friend of Poe's is a friend of mine. :)

More on "The Raven". Notice how Poe uses Grecian mythology ("Homer haunted", "bust of Pallas", "night's Plutonian shore"), Christian mythology ("Balm in Gilead", "distant Aiden" (Eden, paradise - which was, like the speaker in the poem's love, lost, "distant"), "prophet", "seraphim", "thy God" (or "god" - meaning Satan if lowercase, etc.) and, last but maybe most, Norse mythology (the raven is an enormously Nordic symbol, as I well know - certainly not Christian + I don't recall any ties to Grecian mythology). It's interesting to me how he entwined all of this symbolism into A poem with one theme without sounding ridiculous.

And, dig, the symbols, really, are valuable as means of evoking a state of mind, or a feeling in readers. Someone familiar with the sources of those symbols will find the poem more profound than someone without that knowledge. What might it mean that the raven perched on a PALLID bust of Pallas? :) You tell me. And why won't the character's soul be lifted from the raven's shadow? Suicide? Death? Or mere melancholy? The shadow question I still can't answer, because most of the poem is in the past tense, meaning the guy/speaker was alive. The various possible meanings is what makes this poem so great, as well as its intricate symbolism, + variety of poetic techniques (alliteration, rhyme, etc.) But I'm bored with reciting it... probably for the 1000th time.

Baudelaire + Rimbaud ring bells. I know Poe was loved in France. And, in my opinion, it is THE language of literature, while German is of science. Thus I've long wished to master both languages, but need someone to practice them with. I had Dover's Contes Francais, which may have something by Baud' or Rim' in it. Hope I still have it - staff said they're choosing what of my publications to toss to bring me down to the 25 limit. PLEASE feel free to leave quotes of their work in your comments + tell me more about them!

I dig Dali + Monet, + - oh, forget his name, that Dutch painter of morbid Hell scenes. But, I appreciate meticulous realism, which is generally how I draw, as you can see.

Are you fluent in French? Let me know. I'd love to be able to practice it with someone, about these interesting topics, so I can write my own works in this most melodious of tongues.

Thanks for your well-wishing + ditto!

Nate