Edgar Allan Poe, in his poem “For Anne”, continues to write beautiful poetry that is glimmering with light. The author uses Anne as an example of earthbound mourning and love. The author uses her as a symbol of keeping loved ones’ memories alive. Death is the ultimate cure for life. This poem was written to comfort audiences who are grieving. Poe uses rhymes to demonstrate a cyclical structure throughout the entire poem. There is also a slight morphology in the lines.
The poem opens with the narrator expressing his relief. The crisis/The danger, has passed/And the lingering disease/Is at last over –“. The narrator’s story is told in this way to encourage the reader to sit down and listen. The character’s flight from danger creates curiosity and then reveals that he just “conquered his fever of being alive”. Poe is saying that the battle is to live, but dying is a peaceful and beautiful thing. Here, the punctuation shows that Poe is not finished but still has plenty to say. It is repeated in several places of the next stanzas to convey the same message. Now, the man who is not named sets the scene. He looks at sensory cues which confirm that he’s physically dead. It might be that the man would not look dead if he were positioned differently.
This could mean that the man feels much better or that he looks better when lying on his back. This could indicate that the man feels better, or he may feel that being laid backwards for an extended period of time makes him look better. “And now, I am so composed in my sleep,/That anyone who looks at me might think that I’m dead –“. This statement reinforces the idea that this man may be dead, but still has a life because he’s coherent. He’s bedridden and appears dead.
The narrator says that the agony he endured while alive has finally ended. But he also makes a reference to thirst. “Torture from thirst/For the naphthaline/ River of Passion accursed :–/. I have drunk water/That quenches my thirst :–“.. The author refers to naphthalene, a chemical that is well-known. The character could be referring again to the toxin of life, or to the need to constantly fulfill passions that are doomed in life. The cure is revealed in the next line.
Poe, p. 44) It’s water from a cavern underground that isn’t very far away. Again, we see a cyclical reference about death being the greatest cure. Normally, caverns would be much deeper underground. The narrator suddenly changes topics. Let it Never/ Be Foolishly Said/ That My Room is Gloomy.” Poe brings a little lightness to the scene by expressing a positive attitude towards this man’s departure. Poe then continues by illustrating that he is truly at peace, and does not regret his decision (Poe, 49-52). To be truly at peace, he says that one must die. Poe uses flower symbols to differentiate between the suffering and holiness associated with death.
He contrasts panies with rosemary by using myrtles. Poe 55-58: “Forgetting/Never/ Regretting the roses/Its old agitations/Of myrtles/and roses”. In order to move forward, the man puts to rest his agitations about existing. The flowers are meant to symbolize love and passion. This man may be laying down the passions that he once pursued. He proceeds to speak of his liberation by describing the rosemary scent as “holier”, followed by “Puritan Pansies”. This stanza directly identifies christianity. It is appropriate for the context and afterlife of the story. Poe may have wanted to do the same thing with life that society does for dead people. Near the end, Anne appears prominently.
In the 11th stanza she is mentioned for the first time: “And the beauty…/ Drowned in bath/ Of Annie’s tresses.” (Poe 70-72). Anne appears to be positioned in front of the man’s face as his hair drowns him. Anne drapes the man, likely in pain. She is shown as a widow in pain over her lover’s death. In the stanza that follows, Anne describes the last moments of her lover’s life. Anne “fondly embraced” and “tenderly licked” the man before he left. She covers his corpse and prays that he will be safe in heaven. This narration acknowledges Anne’s pain and comforts her in the last stanzas. While he departs, he informs her of his new location. The final line is a romantic way to say goodbye as he repeats her name.
“But My Heart is Brighter”
All of us are better than all the others
The sky is full of stars
Annie – For a sparkle in your life
The light glows
You can’t love my Annie enough
The light is in the mind
Poe, 95-102).
This gesture suggests that Anne will keep the memory of her man alive through her love. Her love for him will make his heart glow. It could be that the light in his eyes is still life within her. He had said earlier that he was no longer alive. The identity of this individual can be determined by looking at other historical documents. Poe was a real person during the time of both characters. Both characters were real people during Poe’s time.
Poe and Annie had a platonic friendship, which was evident in the publication of Poe’s poem shortly after her husband died. The narrative is meant to comfort Mrs. Richmond, and it’s easy to believe that Charles is the man who died. The title “For Anne” seems to reflect this, as the poem is written for her. This context confirms that certain stanzas are meant to heal both the woman and the readers.
The poem describes the death of a loved one in a loving and kind way. This poem, while written for Anne, is suitable to any audience that has suffered loss. Poe’s dark themes are often romanticized, but this approach to death is far from morbid. Poe has a point when he calls death “a treatment” since it’s inevitable. The dying man represents the inevitable cure that humanity must endure.
