"Small as the quantity of his true verse is, it more sustains his peculiar genius in American eyes than does his prose; and this is because it is so unique. He stands absolutely alone as a poet, with none like him." --GEORGE E. WOODBURY Born in Boston, he spent most of his literary years in New York. His parents, both actors, died when he was still a little child, and he was adopted by Mr. Allan, who educated him in Europe. He served as literary editor and hack writer for several journals and finally died in poverty. TO HELEN "To Helen" is said to have been written in 1823, when Poe was only fourteen years old. It refers to Mrs. Jane Stith Stanard, the mother of one of his school friends, whose death was a terrible blow to the sensitive lad. This loss was the cause of numerous poems of sorrow for death and permanently influenced his work. 2. Nicean: Nicaea, the modern Iznik in Turkey, was anciently a Greek province. 2. Nicean barks: the Greek ships that bore the wanderer, Ulysses, from Phaeacia to his home. Read "The Wanderings of Ulysses" in Gayley's Classic Myths, Chapter XXVII. 7. hyacinth: like Hyacinthus, the fabled favorite of Apollo; hence lovely, beautiful. 8. Naiad: a nymph presiding over fountains, lakes, brooks, and wells. 14. Psyche, a beautiful maiden beloved of Cupid, whose adventure with the lamp is told in all classical mythologies. ISRAFEL Israfel, according to the Koran, is the angel with the sweetest voice among God's creatures. He will blow the trump on the day of resurrection. 2. The idea that Israfel's lute was more than human is taken from Moore's "Lalla Rookh," although these very words do not occur there. The reference will be found in the last hundred lines of the poem. 12. levin: lightning. 26. Houri: one of the beautiful girls who, according to the Moslem faith, are to be companions of the faithful in paradise. LENORE 13. Peccavimus: we have sinned. 20. Avaunt: Begone! Away! 26. Paean: song of joy or triumph. THE COLISEUM 10. Eld: antiquity. 14. See Matthew 26: 36-56. 16. The Chaldxans were the world's greatest astrologers. 26-29. Poe here uses technical architectural terms with success. plinth: the block upon which a column or a statue rests. shafts: the main part of a column between the base and the capital. entablatures: the part of a building borne by the columns. frieze: an ornamented horizontal band in the entablature. cornices: the horizontal molded top of the entablatures. 32. corrosive: worn away by degrees; used figuratively of time. 36. At Thebes there is a statue which is supposed to be Memnon, the mythical king of Ethiopia, and which at daybreak was said to emit the music of the lyre. EULALIE.--A SONG 19. Astarte: the Phoenician goddess of love. THE RAVEN 41. Pallas: Greek goddess of wisdom.