My favourite Poet

Hey!I am back for another post.Today I am going to share about my favourite
poet.I need to admit that I don't really read about poems, prefering storybooks
instead.However there is a poet whose peoms are as interesting and meaningful as
a storybook.Not only that, he also composes songs too.He is none other than
EDGAR ALLEN POE.
His background:He was born in Boston, January 19, 1809, and after a tempestuous life of forty
years, he died in the city of Baltimore, October 7, 1849.
His father, the son of a distinguished officer in the Revolutionary army, was
educated for the law, but having married the beautiful English actress, Elizabeth
Arnold, he abandoned law, and in company with his wife, led a wandering life on
the stage. The two died within a short time of each other, leaving three children
entirely destitute. Edgar, the second son, a bright, beautiful boy, was adopted
by John Allen, a wealthy citizen of Richmond. Allen, having no children of his
own, became very much attached to Edgar, and used his wealth freely in
educating the boy. At the age of seven he was sent to school at Stoke
Newington, near London, where he remained for six years. During the next three
years he studied under private tutors, at the residence of the Allen's in
Richmond. In 1826 he entered the University of Virginia, where he remained less
than a year.
After a year or two of fruitless life at home, a cadetship was obtained for him
at West Point. He was soon tried by court-martial and expelled from school
because he drank to excess and neglected his studies. Thus ended his school
days.
In 1829 he published "Al Aaraaf, and Minor Poems." "This work," says his
biographer, Mr. Stoddard, "was not a remarkable production for a young
gentleman of twenty." Poe himself was ashamed of the volume.
After his stormy school life, he returned to Richmond, where he was kindly
received by Mr. Allen. Poe's conduct was such that Mr. Allen was obliged to
turn him out of doors, and, dying soon after, he made no mention of Poe in his
will.
Now wholly thrown upon his own resources, he took up literature as a profession,
but in this he failed to gain a living. He enlisted as a private soldier, but was
soon recognized as the West Point cadet and a discharge procured.
In 1833 Poe won two prizes of $100 each for a tale in prose, and for a poem.
John P. Kennedy, one of the committee who made the award, now gave him
means of support, and secured employment for him as editor of the "Southern
Literary Messenger" at Richmond. After a short but successful editorial work on
"The Messenger," his old habits returned, he quarreled with his publishers and
was dismissed. While in Richmond he married his cousin, Virginia Clem, and in
January, 1837, removed to New York. Here he gained a poor support by writing
for periodicals.
His literary work may be summed up as follows: In 1838 appeared a fiction
entitled "The Narrative of Arthur Gorden Pym;" 1839, editor of Burton's
"Gentleman's Magazine," Philadelphia; next, editor of "Graham's Magazine;"
1840, "Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque," in two volumes; 1845, "The
Raven," published by the "American Review;" then sub-editor of the "Mirror"
under employment of N. P. Willis and Geo. P. Norris; next associate editor of
the "Broadway Journal."
His wife died in 1848. His poverty was now such that the press made appeals to
the public for his support.
In 1848 he published "Eureka, a Prose Poem."
He went to Richmond in 1849, where he was engaged to a lady of considerable
fortune. In October he started for New York to arrange for the wedding, but
at Baltimore he met some of his former boon companions, and spent the night in
drinking. In the morning he was found in a state of delirium, and died in a few
hours.
The most remarkable of his tales are "The Gold Bug," "The Fall of the House of
Usher," "The Murders of the Rue Morgue," "The Purloined Letter," "A Descent
into Maelstrom," and "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar." "The Raven" and
"The Bells" alone would make the name of Poe immortal. The teachers of
Baltimore placed a monument over his grave in 1875.
Poe has been severely censured by many writers for his wild and stormy life, but
we notice that Ingram and some other prominent authors claim that he has been
willfully slandered and that many of the charges brought against him are not
true. His ungovernable temper and high spirit led him into disputes with his
friends, hence he was not enabled to hold any one position for a great length of
time. Like Byron and Burns, he had faults in personal life, but his ungovernable
passions are sleeping, while the sad strains of "The Raven," the clear and
harmonious tones of "The Bells," and the powerful images of his fancy live in the
immortal literature of his time.
Some of his interesting peoms:
A Dream Within A Dream
Take this kiss upon the brow!And, in parting from you now,Thus much let me avow--You are not wrong, who deemThat my days have been a dream;Yet if hope has flown awayIn a night, or in a day,In a vision, or in none,Is it therefore the less gone?All that we see or seemIs but a dream within a dream.
I stand amid the roarOf a surf-tormented shore,And I hold within my handGrains of the golden sand--How few! yet how they creepThrough my fingers to the deep,While I weep--while I weep!O God! can I not graspThem with a tighter clasp?O God! can I not saveOne from the pitiless wave?Is all that we see or seemBut a dream within a dream?
Romance
Romance, who loves to nod and singWith drowsy head and folded wingAmong the green leaves as they shakeFar down within some shadowy lake,To me a painted paroquetHath been—most familiar bird—Taught me my alphabet to say,To lisp my very earliest wordWhile in the wild wood I did lie,A child—with a most knowing eye.
Of late, eternal condor yearsSo shake the very Heaven on highWith tumult as they thunder by,I have no time for idle caresThrough gazing on the unquiet sky;And when an hour with calmer wingsIts down upon my spirit flings,That little time with lyre and rhymeTo while away—forbidden things—My heart would feel to be a crimeUnless it trembled with the strings.
Song I SAW thee on thy bridal day - When a burning blush came o'er thee, Though happiness around thee lay, The world all love before thee:
And in thine eye a kindling light (Whatever it might be) Was all on Earth my aching sight Of Loveliness could see.
That blush, perhaps, was maiden shame -As such it well may pass -Though its glow hath raised a fiercer flame In the breast of him, alas!
Who saw thee on that bridal day, When that deep blush would come o'er thee, Though happiness around thee lay, The world all love before thee.

Why I like the peom

The reasons why I like this peom is because it is interesting.The author knows how to make use of figurative language to its fullest extent creatively and intelligently.The entire story revolves around a knight who is determined to save his lady at all cost but in the end he lost the battle and left his horse dead at foot of castle wall.The whole peom has a quick pace and good rythem and I enjoyed reading it.

Figurative Language

The poem I have chosen is Fast rode the knight by Stephen Crane.It is "Fast rode the knight
With spurs, hot and reeking,Ever waving an eager sword,"To save my lady!"Fast rode the knIght,And leaped from saddle to war.Men of steel flickered and gleamedLike riot of silver lights,And the gold of the knight's good bannerStill waved on a castle wall.. . . . .A horse,Blowing, staggering, bloody thing,Forgotten at foot of castle wall.A horseDead at foot of castle wall."

Firstly,the phrase "And leaped from saddle to war" is a hyperbole as it is exaggerated and used by the author to bring about an element of excitement.As for simile,the author uses the phrase "Like riot of silver lights" to represent the men of steel flickering and gleamering.The phrase "Blowing, staggering, bloody thing" is used for personification as it adds human traits to the poem to describe the horse making it more realistic as the phrase are usually used to describe humans. "Ever waving an eager sword" is a metaphor as waving a sword and preparing for battle should bring fear and dread not eagerness. "Forgotten at foot of castle wall" is a symbolism representing a lost battle.The author used figurative language as he wanted to compare the scenarios in the peom with things to make it more creative and realistic.