Trochee || The Raven By Edgar Allan Poe

Trochee

A metrical foot consisting of an accented syllable followed by an unaccented syllable. Examples of trochaic words include “garden” and “highway.” William Blake opens “The Tyger” with a predominantly trochaic line: “Tyger! Tyger! Burning bright.” Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven” is mainly trochaic.

Rhyming Trochaic Octameter

This is a really carefully organized poem. Let's take a closer look at the first six lines (the first stanza), since what we see happening there gets repeated throughout the poem. Here it is, to jog our memory:

Line 1: Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, A

Line 2: Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore – B

Line 3: While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, C

Line 4: As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door – B

Line 5:"'Tis some visitor," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door – B

Line 6: Only this and nothing more." B

Let's start with the rhyming words (we put them in bold to make them easier to see). The first and third lines have a rhyming word at the middle and at the end of the line (as in "dreary" and "weary"). This is called internal rhyme. In the fourth line, the rhyme from the third line shows up in the middle of the sentence (see that "rapping" up there?) 

The most noticeable rhyme in the poem comes at the end of the second, fourth, fifth, and sixth lines in each stanza. It's easy to pick out, because it's always an "or" sound (e.g. lore, door, more, floor, Lenore, and of course, Nevermore). That means that two thirds of the lines in this poem end with the same sound. In English-professor jargon, this rhyme scheme would be called ABCBBB, with each letter standing for the sound that ends a line. (We put that up there, too, to make it easier to see.) 

As far as the meter goes, we can start by counting out the number of syllables. The first and third lines have sixteen syllables each. That makes eight pairs of syllables. The emphasis in these pairs is usually placed on the first syllable: (Once u/pon a /midnight/ dreary). This kind of syllable pair is called a trochee. Since there are eight syllable pairs in a line, we call it "octameter" (octo- standing for eight, as in octopus). So the meter is called trochaic octameter.

One thing about having a regular meter, though, is that poets can't resist playing with it. You probably noticed that the last line of each stanza is a lot shorter, with only seven syllables or three and a half feet. Plus, if you look really closely, you can see that the second, fourth, and fifth lines only have seven and a half feet. The trick is that in each of the lines ending in an "or" sound, Poe leaves off a syllable. That way the crucial "or" sits out there by itself, unattached to another syllable, making it stand out even more. (Source)

If you look, you can probably figure out a few of Poe's other little gimmicks. The point of all this is that he's trying to make his poem as musical, hypnotic, and captivating as possible. All of this complicated rhyme and rhythm aims at drawing you more completely into the world of the poem.

Text With Explanatory Notes

The Raven
By Edgar Allan Poe

1......Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered,1 weak and weary,
2......Over many a quaint2 and curious volume of forgotten lore,3
3......While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping
4......As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber4 door
5......"'Tis some visitor," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door- 
6...........................Only this, and nothing more."

7......Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December
8......And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost5 upon the floor
9......Eagerly I wished the morrow;6 vainly I had sought to borrow
10....From my books surcease7 of sorrow—sorrow for the lost Lenore—
11....For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore— 
12.........................Nameless here for evermore.

13....And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain
14....Thrilled me—filled me with fantastic8 terrors never felt before;
15....So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating, 
16...."'Tis some visitor entreating9 entrance at my chamber door—
17....Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door;— 
18.........................This it is, and nothing more."

19....Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer, 
20...."Sir," said I, "or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore10
21....But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping, 
22....And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door, 
23....That I scarce was sure I heard you"—here I opened wide the door;— 
24.........................Darkness there, and nothing more.

25....Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing, 
26....Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortals ever dared to dream before; 
27....But the silence was unbroken, and the stillness gave no token, 
28....And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, "Lenore!"
29....This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, "Lenore!"— 
30.........................Merely this, and nothing more.

31....Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning, 
32....Soon again I heard a tapping somewhat louder than before. 
33...."Surely," said I, "surely that is something at my window lattice:11
34....Let me see, then, what thereat12 is, and this mystery explore—
35....Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore;—
36.........................'Tis the wind and nothing more."

37....Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt13 and flutter,
38....In there stepped a stately raven of the saintly days of yore14;
39....Not the least obeisance15 made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he;
40....But, with mien16 of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door—
41....Perched upon a bust17 of Pallas18 just above my chamber door—
42.........................Perched, and sat, and nothing more.

43....Then this ebony19 bird beguiling20 my sad fancy into smiling,
44....By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore.21
45...."Though thy crest22 be shorn23 and shaven, thou," I said, "art sure no craven,24
46....Ghastly grim and ancient raven wandering from the Nightly shore—
47....Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night's Plutonian shore!"25
48.........................Quoth26 the Raven, "Nevermore."

49....Much I marvelled this ungainly fowl to hear discourse so plainly27,
50....Though its answer little meaning—little relevancy bore;28
51....For we cannot help agreeing that no living human being 
52....Ever yet was blest with seeing bird above his chamber door— 
53....Bird or beast upon the sculptured bust above his chamber door, 
54.........................With such name as "Nevermore."29

55....But the raven, sitting lonely on the placid30 bust, spoke only
56....That one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour. 
57....Nothing further then he uttered—not a feather then he fluttered- 
58....Till I scarcely more than muttered, "other friends have flown before— 
59....On the morrow he will leave me, as my hopes have flown before." 
60.........................Then the bird said, "Nevermore."

61....Startled at the stillness broken by reply so aptly spoken, 
62...."Doubtless," said I, "what it utters is its only stock and store,31
63....Caught32 from some unhappy master whom unmerciful Disaster
64....Followed fast and followed faster till his songs one burden bore— 
65....Till the dirges33 of his Hope that melancholy burden bore
66.........................Of 'Never—nevermore'."

67....But the Raven still beguiling all my fancy into smiling, 
68....Straight I wheeled a cushioned seat in front of bird, and bust and door; 
69....Then upon the velvet sinking, I betook myself to linking 
70....Fancy unto fancy, thinking what this ominous bird of yore—
71....What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt34 and ominous bird of yore
72.........................Meant in croaking "Nevermore."

73....This I sat engaged in guessing, but no syllable expressing 
74....To the fowl whose fiery eyes now burned into my bosom's core; 
75....This and more I sat divining,35 with my head at ease reclining
76....On the cushion's velvet lining that the lamplight gloated o'er, 
77....But whose velvet violet lining with the lamplight gloating o'er, 
78.........................She shall press, ah, nevermore!36

79....Then methought the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censer37
80....Swung by Seraphim whose footfalls tinkled on the tufted floor
81...."Wretch,"38 I cried, "thy God hath lent thee—by these angels he hath sent
82....Respite—39 respite and nepenthe,40 from thy memories of Lenore!
83....Quaff,41 oh quaff this kind nepenthe and forget this lost Lenore!"
84.........................Quoth42 the Raven, "Nevermore."

85...."Prophet!" said I, "thing of evil!— prophet still, if bird or devil!
86....Whether Tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore, 
87....Desolate yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted— 
88....On this home by horror haunted—tell me truly, I implore— 
89....Is there—is there balm in Gilead?43— tell me—tell me, I implore!"
90.........................Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore."

91...."Prophet!" said I, "thing of evil- prophet still, if bird or devil! 
92....By that Heaven that bends above us—by that God we both adore- 
93....Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn,44
94....It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore— 
95....Clasp a rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore." 
96.........................Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore."

97...."Be that word our sign in parting, bird or fiend," I shrieked, upstarting- 
98...."Get thee back into the tempest and the Night's Plutonian shore! 
99....Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken! 
100..Leave my loneliness unbroken!—quit the bust above my door! 
101..Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!" 
102.......................Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore."

103..And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting 
104..On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door; 
105..And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming,
106..And the lamplight o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor; 
107..And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor 
108.......................Shall be lifted— nevermore!45
.

THE END
Themes

Grief

The theme of the poem is the abject grief the narrator suffers after the death of his beloved. No matter how hard he tries, he cannot gain "surcease of sorrow . . . / For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore" (lines 10-11).

Finality of Death

The narrator, heartsick at the loss of Lenore, finds it extremely difficult to accept her death. When he hears the tapping, he even calls out her name, perhaps thinking that her spirit has come to visit him. But the raven, repeating the word "Nevermore," reminds him that Lenore will not return. Death is final and irreversible.

Mental Instability

So grief-stricken is the narrator with Lenore's death that he appears to become mentally unstable. The raven may be a hallucination--a manifestation of what he wishes to deny, the death of Lenore.

Who Is Lenore?

It is possible that Lenore, the idealized deceased woman in the poem, represents Poe’s beloved wife, Virginia, who was in poor health when Poe wrote "The Raven." She died two years after the publication of the poem, when she was only in her mid-twenties.

Criticism
Some reviewers in Poe’s day, including poet Walt Whitman, criticized “The Raven" for its sing-song, highly emotional quality. The poem is still criticized today–and often parodied–for the same reason. However, the consensus of critics and ordinary readers appears to be that the poem is a meticulously crafted work of genius and fully deserves its standing as one of the most popular poems in American literature. It is indeed a great work.

Figures of Speech

.......Alliteration is an important figure of speech in "The Raven" because of its ability to impart rhythm and musicality. Following are examples of alliteration in the poem, as well as other figures of speech.

Alliteration

Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore
.
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping
.
And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain
.
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortals ever dared to dream before
.
Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter
.
What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt and ominous bird of yore
Anaphora
And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting
.
Though its answer little meaning—littlerelevancy bore
Metaphor
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.
Comparison of the ash to a ghost
Onomatopoeia
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door
.
And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain
.
Swung by Seraphim whose footfalls tinkled on the tufted floor
.
Meant in croaking "Nevermore."
Personification
On the cushion's velvet lining that the lamplight gloated o'er
The lamplight gloats, like a person.
.
.
Notes
1....pondered: Meditated, studied.
2....quaint: Archaic, old.
3....volume . . . lore: Book of knowledge or myths.
4....chamber: Bedroom or study.
5....ember . . . ghost: Each glowing wood fragment turned into ash.
6....morrow: Next day.
7....surcease: End, pause, delay.
8....fantastic: Unreal, imaginary; weird, strange.
9....entreating: Begging, pleading for.
10..implore: Beg, ask for.
11..lattice: Shutter.
12..thereat: There, at that place.
13..flirt: Jerk.
14..yore: The distant past.
15..obeisance: Bow, gesture of respect.
16..mien: Manner.
17..bust: Small sculpture showing the head, shoulders, and chest.
18..Pallas: Athena, Greek goddess of wisdom.
19..ebony: Black
20..beguiling: Charming, coaxing
21..decorum . . . wore: Look on its face.
22..crest: tuft of feathers on the head.
23..shorn: Cut.
24..craven: Coward.
25..Night's Plutonian shore: The narrator believes the raven is from the shore of the River Styx in the Underworld, the abode of the dead in Greek mythology. “Plutonian" is a reference to Pluto, the god of the Underworld.
26..Quoth: Spoke, said.
27..to hear . . . plainly: The narrator is surprised that the raven can speak.
28..little . . . bore: The raven's answer made little sense.
29..Nevermore: The narrator at first thinks the raven's name is "Nevermore." However, he later learns that "Nevermore" means he will never again see the woman he loved.
30..placid: Peaceful.
31..its only . . . store: The only word it can speak.
32..Caught: Learned.
33..dirges: Funeral hymns
34..this grim . . . gaunt: The bird is now the image of death.
35..divining: Trying to figure out.
36..press . . . nevermore: Never again rest her head on the cushion.
37..censer: Vessel in which incense is burned.
38..Wretch: The narrator is referring to himself.
39..Respite: Rest, pause.
40..nepenthe: Drug causing forgetfulness.
41..Quaff: Drink. 
42..Quoth: Said, spoke.
43..is . . . Gilead: Ointment used to heal. Anything that heals, soothes, or relieves suffering. The balm of Gilead is mentioned in the Bible (Jeremiah 8:22). 
44..Aidenn: Paradise, heaven, Eden.
45..Shall . . . nevermore: The narrator will never again see Lenore.

Study Questions and Writing Topics

Is the narrator sane? Explain your answer.
Does Lenore represent Poe's wife, Virginia? Explain your answer.
Write an essay that explain how poem achieves its rhythmic, musical effect?
Write a short poem that imitates the rhyme scheme and meter of "The Raven." The topic is open.
Author Information
.......Edgar Allan Poe was born on January 19, 1809, in Boston. After being orphaned at age two, he was taken into the home of a childless couple–John Allan, a successful businessman in Richmond, Va., and his wife. Allan was believed to be Poe’s godfather. At age six, Poe went to England with the Allans and was enrolled in schools there. After he returned with the Allans to the U.S. in 1820, he studied at private schools, then attended the University of Virginia and the U.S. Military Academy, but did not complete studies at either school. 
.......After beginning his literary career as a poet and prose writer, he married his young cousin, Virginia Clemm. He worked for several magazines and joined the staff of the New York Mirror newspaper in 1844. All the while, he was battling a drinking problem. After the Mirror published his poem “The Raven" in January 1845, Poe achieved national and international fame. Besides pioneering the development of the short story, Poe invented the format for the detective story as we know it today. He also was an outstanding literary critic. 
.......Despite the acclaim he received, Poe was never really happy because of his drinking and because of the deaths of several people close to him, including his wife in 1847. He frequently had trouble paying his debts. It is believed that heavy drinking was a contributing cause of his death in Baltimore on October 7, 1849.