To The River
Published on Nov 19, 2015
No Description
MORE DECKS TO EXPLORE
PRESENTATION OUTLINE
FAIR river! in thy bright, clear flow
Of crystal, wandering water,
Thou art an emblem of the glow
Of beauty - the unhidden heart -
The playful amaziness of art
In old Alberto's daughter;
Photo by Len Radin
But when within thy wave she looks -
Which glistens then, and trembles -
Why, then, the prettiest of brooks
Her worshipper resembles;
For in my heart, as in thy stream,
Her image deeply lies -
His heart which trembles at the beam
Of her soul-searching eyes.
Photo by Leonard John Matthews
EDGAR ALLAN POE
The first stanza compares the girl to the river, and the second stanza says how the girl is in the poet's heart.
Photo by Claudio.Ar
Clearly, Edgar Allan Poe's "To the River," written during the Romanticism period of American literature in 1829, follows the once present trend of Romanticism. It is certain that nature was a contributor to the creation of this poem because Poe describes this man, Alberto's, daughter as a river (Poe, "To the River"). He describes the river as a "bright, clear flow / Of crystal, wandering water," (Poe, "To the River") which can be attributed to Alberto's daughter.
Photo by Claudio.Ar
To analyze the poem itself, there is a standard rhyme scheme used that goes A-B-A-C-C-B D-E-D-E-F-G-F-G. With the exception of one rhyme, the pattern includes an alternate of rhyming cuplets.
Photo by Computer Science Geek
She must be a well-hearted young girl of pure spirit and fierce tenacity to receive such high esteem from Mr. Poe. As with most things, this resemblance is left mostly to the reader's imagination, such that one must be able to read past the simple words on paper and visualize the freedom of a river and how it is instilled in the young girl. According to John Langley, American Romanticism "finds beauty and truth in ... the inner world of the imagination." In this scene of crystal water, there is a sense of divinity in that the river must have some sort of meaning and purpose to its beauty. Most rivers are murky and full of silt, while this particular river holds the beauty of priceless gems, so it should be asserted that the river symbolizes more than just the girl, possibly leaving traces of raw nature, not being disturbed by human interference.
Photo by -Reji
