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Thursday, October 30, 2008

Happy Halloween

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary,Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.`'Tis some visitor,' I muttered, `tapping at my chamber door -Only this, and nothing more.'
Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December,And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.Eagerly I wished the morrow; - vainly I had sought to borrowFrom my books surcease of sorrow - sorrow for the lost Lenore -For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels named Lenore -Nameless here for evermore.
And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtainThrilled me - filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating`'Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door -Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door; -This it is, and nothing more,'
Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,`Sir,' said I, `or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore;But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping,And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door,That I scarce was sure I heard you' - here I opened wide the door; -Darkness there, and nothing more.
Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream beforeBut the silence was unbroken, and the darkness gave no token,And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, `Lenore!'This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, `Lenore!'Merely this and nothing more.
Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning,Soon again I heard a tapping somewhat louder than before.`Surely,' said I, `surely that is something at my window lattice;Let me see then, what thereat is, and this mystery explore -Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore; -'Tis the wind and nothing more!'
Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter,In there stepped a stately raven of the saintly days of yore.Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he;But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door -Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door -Perched, and sat, and nothing more.
Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore,`Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou,' I said, `art sure no craven.Ghastly grim and ancient raven wandering from the nightly shore -Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night's Plutonian shore!'Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'
Much I marvelled this ungainly fowl to hear discourse so plainly,Though its answer little meaning - little relevancy bore;For we cannot help agreeing that no living human beingEver yet was blessed with seeing bird above his chamber door -Bird or beast above the sculptured bust above his chamber door,With such name as `Nevermore.'But the raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only,That one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour.Nothing further then he uttered - not a feather then he fluttered -Till I scarcely more than muttered `Other friends have flown before -On the morrow he will leave me, as my hopes have flown before.'Then the bird said, `Nevermore.'
Startled at the stillness broken by reply so aptly spoken,`Doubtless,' said I, `what it utters is its only stock and store,Caught from some unhappy master whom unmerciful disasterFollowed fast and followed faster till his songs one burden bore -Till the dirges of his hope that melancholy burden bore of "Never-nevermore."
'But the raven still beguiling all my sad soul into smiling,Straight I wheeled a cushioned seat in front of bird and bust and door;Then, upon the velvet sinking, I betook myself to linkingFancy unto fancy, thinking what this ominous bird of yore -What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and ominous bird of yoreMeant in croaking `Nevermore.'
This I sat engaged in guessing, but no syllable expressingTo the fowl whose fiery eyes now burned into my bosom's core;This and more I sat divining, with my head at ease recliningOn the cushion's velvet lining that the lamp-light gloated o'er,But whose velvet violet lining with the lamp-light gloating o'er,She shall press, ah, nevermore!
Then, methought, the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censerSwung by Seraphim whose foot-falls tinkled on the tufted floor.`Wretch,' I cried, `thy God hath lent thee - by these angels he has sent theeRespite - respite and nepenthe from thy memories of Lenore!Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe, and forget this lost Lenore!'Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'
'Prophet!' said I, 'thing of evil! - prophet still, if bird or devil!' -Whether tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore,Desolate yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted -On this home by horror haunted - tell me truly, I implore -Is there - is there balm in Gilead?* - tell me - tell me, I implore!'Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'
'Prophet!' said I, `thing of evil! - prophet still, if bird or devil!By that Heaven that bends above us - by that God we both adore -Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn,It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels named Lenore -Clasp a rare and radiant maiden, whom the angels named Lenore?'Quoth the raven, 'Nevermore.'
'Be that word our sign of parting, bird or fiend!' I shrieked upstarting -`Get thee back into the tempest and the Night's Plutonian shore!Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken!Leave my loneliness unbroken! - quit the bust above my door!Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!'Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'
And the raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sittingOn the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming,And the lamp-light o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floorShall be lifted - nevermore!

*Jeremiah 8:22

--P.S. I didn't feel like typing this all out, so I just copied and pasted it!
http://www.heise.de/ix/raven/Literature/Lore/TheRaven.html

27 comments:

  1. Ah, that Homer Simpson, what a poet.

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  2. I believe he also wrote the Odessey and the Iliad!

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  3. Tilia said...
    ha, I knew this was a Poe...

    You should be shot for that comment.

    @Rufus, I read that all in a Homer Simpson voice as well :)

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  4. You should be shot for that comment.

    Sorry, it's certainly not a Poe but the Poe ;)

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  5. I love Poe.
    'The Pit and the Pendulum' scared the hell outta me.

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  6. m said...

    'The Pit and the Pendulum' scared the hell outta me.

    There's more than one way to get Saved. Take thet, RC.

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  7. Great way to celebrate the holiday - thanks muchly

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  8. maragon said:

    "I love Poe.
    'The Pit and the Pendulum' scared the hell outta me."

    I prefer the Tell-Tale Heart. Suspense at its best, from the Master of the Macabre! (imo)

    Hey, is copying the entire thing covered under the Fair Use Act?
    ;-)

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  9. Yep, Tell- Tale heart gave me shivers growing up. What a great story.

    I grew up memorizing Poe poetry as a hobby.


    Happy Halloween everyone!

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  10. Anyone else a Lovecraft fan(atic)?

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  11. It was reading the his Detective Dupin stories that first got me thinking about how we think. I love how Dupin was able to follow the thoughts of people around him.

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  12. Maragon,

    My girlfriend is and I am just starting to read his works. I like them so far.

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  13. maragon,
    *raises hand and waves fanatically*
    Here! Me! Me!
    Ftaghn!

    I even created a bunch of Mythos creatures for Spore, that's how crazy I am.
    With the upcoming Spore expansion, I look forward eagerly for parts to improve and horrify my critters. I haven't done any new creatures in a short while, but my collection is still an ongoing project.

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  14. Maragon said...
    "Anyone else a Lovecraft fan(atic)?"

    I was when I was a kid. Now, not so much - but I totally understand why some people read it, it grabs you by the throat sometimes! (so to speak).

    - LOAF

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  15. LOAF

    Have you been doing this for a while and I hadn't noticed?

    Made me laugh :)

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  16. WeM -

    yes, I did that on purpose. Couldn't wait until April Fool's day, so I thought I'd see who noticed.

    You win the prize... I'll figure out what that is and send it out to ya a.s.a.p. ! LOL

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  17. Maragon,

    I have everything Lovecraft ever wrote, as well as a lot of August Derleth works. I also have The King in Yellow, which was a big inspiration for Lovecraft.

    Currently, this is my desktop wallpaper. :P


    Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn!

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  18. I totally saw a chick with an I '<3 Cthulhu' shirt the other day.

    I WANTS IT.

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  19. Maragon,

    I saw a cthulhu stuffed animal with the tentacles holding onto balls that spelled out cthulhu, and it was wearing a santa hat. I should have bought it.

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  20. Oh my.

    That's made of so much win, Rocky.

    I have such a fetish for useless, cute things like that. =)

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  21. Maragon sez:

    I have such a fetish for useless, cute things like that. =)

    Maragon,

    You might find a few things you like here.

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  22. That would be the stuffed animal i saw, they added the balls and hat though

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  23. Yeah, those Cthulhu plush toys are pretty cool.

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  24. I have three of the stuffed Cthulhus, the Santa, the Superhero and the regular hand doll.
    I wanted to get the beach Cthulhu a few years back, but it wasn't avilable at the time.
    For more winning fun, check out Goomi!

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  25. Hey Felix, is it just me, or does every single one of the links you provide not work?

    I've noticed it a bunch of times; there'll be some blue text in your post, but IE6 (what I'm stuck using here at work) doesn't recognize it as a URL. It's just blue text.

    It might have something to do with the policies on this work laptop, or maybe IE itself. With that said, I read links from other Raytractors just fine.

    Just wanted to point this out to ya :)

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  26. Correction: I guess I have seen some of your links work before. The ones in this thread don't, however.

    ReplyDelete

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