Edgar Allan Poe

Spirits Of The Dead

Summary

This piece explores the theme of solitude and the presence of the afterlife as it delves into the experience of a soul in isolation, contemplating death and the spirits of the deceased. It describes an environment where the soul finds itself alone amidst dark thoughts, surrounded by the spirits of the dead who once lived. The poem emphasizes the silence and solitude that are not necessarily lonely, as the spirits impose their will on the living soul. The night is depicted as having a somber quality, where the stars offer no comforting light. Thoughts and visions persist, much like an everlasting imprint of the past. The imagery of stillness, mist, and mysterious shadows suggests a profound reflection on the unseen connections between the living and departed. This meditation on the eternal presence of the dead encourages readers to contemplate the deeper mysteries of life and death.

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     Thy soul shall find itself alone
     ‘Mid dark thoughts of the grey tomb-stone—
     Not one, of all the crowd, to pry
     Into thine hour of secrecy:

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     Be silent in that solitude
     Which is not loneliness—for then
     The spirits of the dead who stood
     In life before thee are again
     In death around thee—and their will
     Shall then overshadow thee: be still.

                                3

     For the night—tho’ clear—shall frown—
     And the stars shall look not down,
     From their high thrones in the Heaven,
     With light like Hope to mortals given—
     But their red orbs, without beam,
     To thy weariness shall seem
     As a burning and a fever
     Which would cling to thee for ever:

                               4

     Now are thoughts thou shalt not banish—
     Now are visions ne’er to vanish—
     From thy spirit shall they pass
     No more—like dew-drop from the grass:

                              5

     The breeze—the breath of God—is still—
     And the mist upon the hill
     Shadowy—shadowy—yet unbroken,
     Is a symbol and a token—
     How it hangs upon the trees,
     A mystery of mysteries!—

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