Once a midnight dreary, as I pondered, weak and weary Over many a and curious volume of forgotten lore While I nodded, napping, suddenly there came a tapping As if some one gently rapping, rapping at my door "Tis some visitor," I muttered, at my chamber door only this Only and nothing more
Muttering I got up weakly, always had trouble sleeping Stumbling upright my mind racing, furtive thoughts flowing more I there for some sunrise, happiness would be a surprise Loneliness no longer a prize, rapping at my chamber Seeking out the clever bore, lost in dreams forever Only this and more
my pulse was racing, stale tobacco my lips tasting Scotch sitting upon my basin, remnants of the before Came again infernal tapping on the door, in my jabbing Is it in or rapping, calling out to me once more The fit and fury of Lenore, nameless here forever And the silken sad uncertain, rustling of the purple Thrilled me, me
With fantastic terrors never before, so that now, oh wind breathing, hoping yet to calm my breathing 'Tis some visitor entreating, entrance at my door Some lost visitor entreating, entrance at my door is it, and nothing more, deep into the darkness peering Long I stood there, wondering fearing, doubting dreaming No mortal to dream before But the silence was unbroken, and the gave no token And the only there spoken, was the whispered name, Lenore
This I thought in out loud whispered from my The name festered, echoing itself merely this, and nothing more Back into my turning, every nerve within me burning When once again I heard a tapping, somewhat than before "Surely," I, surely that is something at my iron staircase Open the door to see what is, open that window, free the shutters Let us this mystery explore, Oh! bursting be still this once And let this mystery explore it is the wind and nothing
one Epithet I muttered as inside, I gagged and shuddered When with manly flirt and flutter, in there flew a raven Sleek and ravenous as any foe, not the obeisance made he Not a minutes towards me, of recognition or politeness But perched above my chamber door, this fowl and visage Insinuating with its knowledge, perched above my chamber Silent sat and nothing more, a-skance, a-skew
The self's sad fancy at you I swear, at this savage viscous Countenance it wears, though you show here and shaven and I myself forlorn and craven, ghastly grim and ancient raven Wandering from the shores, tell me, what Thy Lordly is? That you are not nightmare sewage dire powdered drink or inhalation Framed from flames of downtown stroke the raven never more
And the raven sitting lonely, staring at my male sex only That one word as if his soul in that one word, he did outpour, farther than he uttered, not a feather then he fluttered Till finally was I that muttered as I stared, at the floor Other have flown and left me Flown as each and hope has flown before And as you no will before tomorrow But the bird said never
Then I felt the air grow denser, perfumed from some unseen As though accepting intrusion, when in fact I felt collusion Before the guise, of false respite Respite the haze of cocaine's glory I smoke and I smoke the blue glory To forget at once, the Lenore Stroke the raven more Prophet said I, thing of evil, Prophet still, if bird or By that Heaven that bend above us, by that God we both Tell this soul with sorrow laden, and destructive intent
How had lapsed a pure heart lady, to the of needs Sweaty arrogant dick less liar, who ascribed to higher Than a jab from prick to a needle, straight to betrayal and The showing not a trace, stroke the raven never more Be that word our of parting Bird or fiend," I yelled upstarting, get thee into the tempest Into the smoke filled bottle's shore, leave no black as a token Of the slime thy soul hath spoken, leave my loneliness
Quit as have quit before, take the talon from my heart And see that I can care no more, whatever mattered came I vanished with the dead Lenore, stroke the raven never But the raven, never Still is silent sitting, above a painting silent painting Of the forever silenced whole and his have all the seeming Of a demon's that is dreaming, and the lamplight him Streaming his shadow to the floor I love she Who me more, I love she who hates me more And my soul shall not be lifted from that shadow