b
And the angel Israfel, whose heart-strings are a lute, and who has the sweetest voice of all God’s creatures.—Koran (Poe’s note).
c
In classical mythology, a river in Hades; drinking its water caused one to forget one’s past.
d
Islands west of Scotland.
e
That is, walls destined to destruction; according to biblical prophecy, “the broad walls of Babylon [an ancient city of Mesopotamia] shall be utterly broken” (Jeremiah 51:58, King James Version).
f
“Chaldee” refers to Chaldeans, a people of ancient Babylonia who gave great credence to astrology, divination based on the theory that human and astronomical events are linked.
g
In classical mythology, Memnon is a son of Eos, the Dawn; the reference is to an ancient statue of Memnon in Thebes, said to produce a musical sound when struck by the first rays of the sun at daybreak (Eos’s “kiss”).
h
Phantom.
i
Ancient name for extreme northern Europe; Poe’s context may imply limits to any endeavor.
j
Possibly a reference to vast tracts of huge trees; in classical mythology, Titans were primitive gods of great strength and size.
k
Legendary creatures that rob graves and eat the flesh of corpses; see the characterization of them as beneficial creatures in “Ulalume: A Ballad.”
l
That is, a place of great riches or opportunities; thematically, this poem bears re semblances to Poe’s later poem “Eldorado,” in which no known geographical locale, but more likely an emotional or spiritual goal, is suggested.
m
Old colloquialism for a shadow created by embers; thus Poe’s context is wonderfully ambiguous, hinting simultaneous everyday and supernatural possibilities.
n
In Greek mythology, Pluto, also called Hades, ruled the underworld; Poe’s context combines darkness and despair.
o
Something that brings forgetfulness or ends suffering.
p
Biblical city known for its manufacture of and commerce in medicinal spices.
q
That is, Eden.
r
That is, waning or disappearing (literally, growing old).
s
Tending to become liquid; melting. ‡Phoenician goddess of fertility and sensual love. §That is, Diana (see note 1), who in classical mythology is associated with the moon, a cold planet that represents chastity. ∥That is, a peace that brings forgetfulness (see note on p. 14).
t
Or sibyllic, referring to the ancient Greek prophetess Sibyl; the light suggests to the speaker a prophetic sign that he imagines is good.
u
Magical.
v
Ringing or jingling; Poe used difficult words partly to appear more educated than he was.
w
Here, the more traditional, frightening variety, in contrast to those in “Ulalume: A Ballad.”
x
Far more an element of the mind than an actual geographical place (see note on p. 23); a meeting area for happiness and somberness.
y
Legendary mountains (today thought to be Africa’s Ruwenzori Mountains) that suggest distances unattainable by humans.
z
Comes from the inability to be alone (French). Poe’s note: Mercier, in “L‘an deux mille quatre cent quarante,” seriously maintains the doctrines of the Metempsychosis [see note 1 of Tales], and I. D’Israeli says that “no system is so simple and so little repugnant to the understanding.” Colonel Ethan Allen, the “Green Mountain Boy,” is also said to have been a serious metempsychosist.
aa
The soul ... resides but once in a corporeal body: for the rest—a horse, a dog, even a human, it is only an intangible phantom of those animals (French).
ab
Apparently mad Roman emperor (A.D. 37-41), who was known for his cruel and ruthless acts and who loved horses.
ac
French phrases and words: pâtés à la fois: pates at that time; sur la Nature. on the Essence; sur l‘Ame: on the soul; sur l’Esprit: on the Spirit; omelettes: omelets; fricandeaux: veal stew; littérateur: writer; Idée de Bon-Bon: Idea of Bon-Bon’s; savants: learned ones.
ad
Authoritative pronouncements (Latin).
ae
Hash, or easy transition (French).
af
Meaning deductive reasoning (Latin).
ag
Meaning reasoning from observed facts, or inductive reasoning (Latin).
ah
Φρ∈ν∈ς (Poe’s note).
ai
High relief.
aj
Under-chef, apprentice chef (French).
ak
Agreeable (French).
al
Entire ensemble (French).
am
Works of Bon-Bon (French).
an
Or à la Grecque; Grecian (French).
ao
Library (French).
ap
Mixtures (French).
aq
Egg dish featuring cream sauce enriched with truffles and asparagus.
ar
Rich omelette with chicken, mushrooms, and ripe olives.
as
Pigtail (French).
at
Writing instrument.
au
“Catholic Ritual” (French)—that is, it is a Roman Catholic Mass book; but note the subsequent appearance of the title, in which it changes to “Régitre des Condamnés” (“Register of the Condemned [the damned]”).
av
The changes transform the Greek sentence from “the mind is itself” to “the mind is a light.”
aw
Ils écrivaient sur la Philosophie (Cicero, Lucretius, Seneca) mais c‘était la Philosophie Grecque.—Condorcet (Poe’s note).
ax
The names in this and the following paragraphs are those of classical authors and scientists.
ay
To be excited by nothing (Latin).
az
Living body (Latin).
ba
These names and partial names include renowned villains from legend and history.
bb
Quere-Aroue? (Poe’s note). Arouet was the actual name of French writer Voltaire (1694-1778).
bc
The epigraph, from seventeenth-century French dramatist Philippe Quinault (1635-1688), translates, “He who has but a moment to live has nothing to conceal.”
bd
Meaning “extreme skepticism” (referring to the ancient Greek philosopher Pyrrho, known as the father of skepticism); that is, the narrator wants his account to appear realistic.
be
Oriental, lightweight coasting ships with sails.
bf
That is, a terrific storm; literally, a hot, destructive wind from Asian and African deserts.
bg
Old name for Australia.
bh
In Scandinavian mythology, a sea monster of enormous size.
bi
Old times; antiquity.
bj
Three famous ruined cities in the ancient Near East.
bk
Excerpt from “Exequy to his Matchless never to be forgotten Friend,” by English prelate and poet Henry King (1592-1669); the lines appear again at the conclusion of this tale.
bl
Eternal home of the good in classical mythology.
bm
Style of classical architecture developed by Italian architect Andrea Palladio (1508-1580).
bn
Bridge of Sighs (Italian); famous landmark in Venice, over which condemned prisoners were marched.
bo
Queen of Thebes in classical mythology who, upon the murder of her children, turned to a stone statue that wept perp
etually.
bp
Or ennui; bored or indifferent.
bq
Extremely handsome Roman emperor (A.D. 161-192).
br
English statesman and author (1478-1535) who, according to certain accounts, went joking to his own execution. Poe may be punning here, using More’s name to allude to the Irish Romantic poet and biographer Thomas Moore (1779-1852).
bs
Reference to a work by sixteenth-century playwright Jean Tixtier de Ravisi (or Jo hannes Ravisius Textor) that was a handbook to classical lore. ‡Projecting bit of sculpture at the base of a column (French).
bt
Laughter (Greek).
bu
Extremes.
bv
Giovanni Cimabue (c.1240-c.1302), Italian painter.
bw
Taste for or love of the fine arts.
bx
Guido Reni (1575-1642), Italian painter; the painting referred to here is huge.
by
Statue by the Greek sculptor Cleomenes.
bz
Italian sculptor Antonio Canova (1757-1822).
ca
The Apollo Belvedere, located in the Belvedere of the Vatican, was a much admired statue in the early nineteenth century.
cb
Roman courtier Antinoüs (c. A.D. 110-130), a handsome favorite of Emperor Hadrian, was commemorated frequently with statues.
cc
The best artist does not have a concept / That the marble block does not circumscribe (Italian).
cd
In Poe’s era, Favola d‘Orfeo, a dramatic poem by Italian poet and scholar Politian (1454-1494), was rearranged into acts.
ce
This is Poe’s poem “To One in Paradise.”
cf
A somewhat misquoted line from English dramatist George Chapman’s play (1607).
cg
One (Old Latin); wine (Greek).
ch
The astrological sign Aries (the ram) affecting the planets Jupiter and Saturn indicates violence, tragedy, and change.
ci
Greek lyric poet of Teos (sixth century B.C.), who wrote of wine and love, often satirically.
cj
Fourth-century B.C. rhetorician who was a tough critic of Homer’s poetry. “Zoilean” has come to mean “characteristic of a carping critic.”
ck
Ancient region of Babylonia, in southwestern Asia.
cl
Another name for Elysium, eternal home of the good in classical mythology, reached by a ferryboat operated by Charon.
cm
Accurate English translation from a fragment by the seventh-century B.C. Greek poet.
cn
Republic of northern Africa, although Poe here is following the old Greek custom of referring to all of Africa as Libya, which would include the river Zaire, in the Republic of the Congo.
co
Islands west of Scotland.
cp
Priests of a hereditary clan of the ancient Medes and Persians that were considered mystics.
cq
Powerful Eastern spirits; sometimes good, sometimes bad.
cr
Sibyls were ancient prophetesses; Dodona, an ancient town of northwestern Greece, was the site of a shrine to Zeus (the supreme god of classical mythology), where oracular prophecies were given.
cs
Poe’s Latin source remains undiscovered. The epigraph means “My companions told me that I might ease my misery by visiting the grave of my beloved.”
ct
Ancestral home of Sir Walter Scott’s heroine in his novel Anne of Geierstein (1829).
cu
Water nymph of classical mythology.
cv
Or Ptolemaeus Chennos; Greek mythographer (composer of fables) whose writings have been lost; Photius, a Greek theologian and lexicographer, had created synopses of them, and Poe probably knew of these from Jacob Bryant’s Antient Mythology (1807), a work of considerable influence on his writings.
cw
Flower of the lily family; in Greek mythology, a symbol of death. (The flower can also symbolize immortality; see footnote on p. 256.)
cx
For as Jove, during the winter season, gives twice seven days of warmth, men have called this clement and temperate time the nurse of the beautiful Halcyon.—Simonides [early Greek lyric poet] (Poe’s note).
cy
Marie Sallé (c.1707-1756), renowned French dancer and choreographer.
cz
“All her steps were sentiments,... that all her teeth were ideas” (French).
da
See note on p. 98.
db
Greek god of love.
dc
Or Bratislava; this university center, the capital of Slovakia, was associated with witchcraft.
dd
Hinnom, a valley near ancient Jerusalem where Jews at times practiced idol worship. The Greek form of its name, Gehenna, became the New Testament word for Hell—that is, a place that causes misery.
de
Tree that symbolizes mourning or death (compare the appearance of cypresses in “Ulalume: A Ballad”).
df
The rose gardens at Paestum, an ancient city in southern Italy, are mentioned in Roman poet Virgil’s Georgics (37-30 B.C.).
dg
Relating to the ancient city of Teos, birthplace of Greek lyric poet Anacreon (sixth century B.C.), whose poems about love and wine generally suggest frivolity.
dh
Near Eastern city; birthplace of Muhammad and a chief pilgrimage destination for Muslims; a person’s corpse was often buried in the robe worn during her or his pilgrimage there.
di
Five-year spans (singular, lustrum); derived from the ancient Roman practice of purification, known as the lustrum, made every five years.
dj
From Gorboduc; or, The Tragedy of Ferrex and Porrex (1561), by English dramatists Thomas Norton and Thomas Sackville (also known as Lord Buckhurst).
dk
king Edward III of England, who reigned from 1327 to 1377.
dl
That is, muscles involved in laughing.
dm
Strong alcoholic drink.
dn
“No credit.”
do
That is, run away without paying.
dp
Or edema (water retention in body tissue); also an old slang term for ceaseless thirst.
dq
Loftiness (French).
dr
Casual; jaunty (French).
ds
Fine sheer linen or cotton fabric.
dt
Port.
du
Man’s close-fitting overcoat.
dv
Garments suited to one’s occupation.
dw
Low-grade gin.
dx
Personification of the bottom of the sea; he dominates over drowning victims.
dy
Low-grade, heavy port wine.
dz
Or hurdy-gurdy, a street organ or its player (organ-grinder); the implication is that King Pest is an impostor.
ea
Poe presumably made up this quotation; it has not been found in any works by Joseph Glanvill (1636-1680), an English clergyman and philosopher whose ideas emphasized intuitive thinking.
eb
Or Ashtoreth, the Egyptian goddess of fertility.
ec
Small island in the Aegean Sea whose female inhabitants were reputed to be beautiful ; sacred in Greek mythology as the birthplace of Apollo and Artemis.
ed
From Essays, No. 43, “Of Beauty” (1625), by English essayist Francis Bacon, first Baron Verulam.
ee
In Greek mythology, Apollo is the god of light, truth, poetry, music, and prophecy; Cleomenes was a sculptor of ancient Greece.
ef
Reference to The
History of Nourjahad (1767), a novel with Oriental themes by Irish author Mrs. Frances Sheridan.
eg
Beautiful maidens that live in the Muslim paradise.
eh
See note on p. 124.
ei
School of philosophy founded by Plato (427-348 B.C.).
ej
Alchemical term for lead and graphite—that is, a dull-colored substance.
ek
Angel of death in Jewish and Islamic belief.
el
This poem was first published as “The Conqueror Worm” in Graham’s Magazine (January 1843).
em
The pentagram and pentagonal-shaped design have long been emblematic of magic, and also are shaped like certain types of coffins.
en
Egyptian city; site of ancient Thebes.
eo
Possible reference to northern European (“Gothic”) superstitious beliefs.
ep
From James and Horatio Smith’s Rejected Addresses ( 1812).
eq
A mantelet is a short cloak or cape; agraffas, or agraffes, are ornamental clasps on clothing; auriculas are a type of primrose.
er
Queen of Palmyra (A.D. 267-272).
es
In classical mythology, a beautiful maiden, beloved by Cupid, who wandered searching for him with a lamp; also a synonym for “soul.”
et
In Poe’s time, slang for a gambler or heavy drinker.
eu
Intellectual and writer Henry P. Brougham, lord chancellor of England (1830—1834).
ev
Pun on the name of German philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724-1804).
ew
Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, founded 1817, gained a reputation for publishing Gothic short stories. Thus it is appropriate that Psyche Zenobia consults the magazine and its owner for tips on writing best-sellers.
ex
Times and Examiner are London newspapers. “Gulley’s New Compendium of Slang-Whang” alludes to John Gully (1783-1863), a prizefighter who later entered Parliament; Slang-Whang is a term of abuse and erratic speech that apparently originated in 1834.
ey
Noun forms of adjectives.
ez
Paraphrase from English poet Lord Byron’s Don Juan (1824), canto 14: “for truth is always strange,—/ stranger than fiction.”
fa
Schools and names associated with ancient Greek philosophy.
fb
English philosopher John Locke (1632-1704) developed the theory of empiricism, which rejected traditional ideas of innate knowledge.
fc
Books by Immanuel Kant, published in 1781 and 1786, respectively.
fd
Principal publication of American trancendentalists (1840-1844).
fe
The imperfect quotation comes from Poems (1843), by William Ellery Channing the younger.
Essential Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe Page 81
