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Al Aaraaf: Reproduced From the Edition Of 1829
Reprint of the 1933 ed. published by Columbia University Press, New York, which was issued as v. 9 of the Facsimile Text Society Series I: Language and literature.
71 pages, Unknown Binding
First published December 1, 1829
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About the author
Edgar Allan Poe
9,830 books28.7k followersThe name Poe brings to mind images of murderers and madmen, premature burials, and mysterious women who return from the dead. His works have been in print since 1827 and include such literary classics as The Tell-Tale Heart, The Raven, and The Fall of the House of Usher. This versatile writer’s oeuvre includes short stories, poetry, a novel, a textbook, a book of scientific theory, and hundreds of essays and book reviews. He is widely acknowledged as the inventor of the modern detective story and an innovator in the science fiction genre, but he made his living as America’s first great literary critic and theoretician. Poe’s reputation today rests primarily on his tales of terror as well as on his haunting lyric poetry.
Just as the bizarre characters in Poe’s stories have captured the public imagination so too has Poe himself. He is seen as a morbid, mysterious figure lurking in the shadows of moonlit cemeteries or crumbling castles. This is the Poe of legend. But much of what we know about Poe is wrong, the product of a biography written by one of his enemies in an attempt to defame the author’s name.
The real Poe was born to traveling actors in Boston on January 19, 1809. Edgar was the second of three children. His other brother William Henry Leonard Poe would also become a poet before his early death, and Poe’s sister Rosalie Poe would grow up to teach penmanship at a Richmond girls’ school. Within three years of Poe’s birth both of his parents had died, and he was taken in by the wealthy tobacco merchant John Allan and his wife Frances Valentine Allan in Richmond, Virginia while Poe’s siblings went to live with other families. Mr. Allan would rear Poe to be a businessman and a Virginia gentleman, but Poe had dreams of being a writer in emulation of his childhood hero the British poet Lord Byron. Early poetic verses found written in a young Poe’s handwriting on the backs of Allan’s ledger sheets reveal how little interest Poe had in the tobacco business.
For more information, please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_al...
Just as the bizarre characters in Poe’s stories have captured the public imagination so too has Poe himself. He is seen as a morbid, mysterious figure lurking in the shadows of moonlit cemeteries or crumbling castles. This is the Poe of legend. But much of what we know about Poe is wrong, the product of a biography written by one of his enemies in an attempt to defame the author’s name.
The real Poe was born to traveling actors in Boston on January 19, 1809. Edgar was the second of three children. His other brother William Henry Leonard Poe would also become a poet before his early death, and Poe’s sister Rosalie Poe would grow up to teach penmanship at a Richmond girls’ school. Within three years of Poe’s birth both of his parents had died, and he was taken in by the wealthy tobacco merchant John Allan and his wife Frances Valentine Allan in Richmond, Virginia while Poe’s siblings went to live with other families. Mr. Allan would rear Poe to be a businessman and a Virginia gentleman, but Poe had dreams of being a writer in emulation of his childhood hero the British poet Lord Byron. Early poetic verses found written in a young Poe’s handwriting on the backs of Allan’s ledger sheets reveal how little interest Poe had in the tobacco business.
For more information, please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_al...
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
September 23, 2020
Al Aaraaf- I must confess, I don’t have a clue what the hell this was supposed to be about. Was it eloquently and gorgeously written prose? Why, yes, of course, it IS Poe, after all. Did I understand it? Not a lick. Oh well. On to the next.
October 29, 2020
4 Stars for the book as a whole since it is such a treat getting a peek into the early writings of Poe. Poe claimed that he had written Al Aaraaf when he was 15.
[Sonnet — To Science] - 3 Stars
Al Aaraaf is the longest poem Poe wrote at 422 lines. Poe notes “A star was discovered by Tycho Brahe [in 1572 and was visible for about seventeen months] which burst forth, in a moment, with a splendor surpassing that of Jupiter — then gradually faded away and became invisible to the naked eye.” (page 9 unnumbered) Poe identified the supernova with Al Aaraaf, a star that was the place between paradise and hell. Also A'raf as described in the Quran is the Muslim separator realm or borderland between heaven and hell, inhabited by the evenly balanced in their sins and virtues, they are not entirely evil nor are they entirely good. "The poem mingles science with poetry and creates a dream world of ravishing sights while it emphasizes the ideal of absolute beauty. In part one of the poem, Nesace, is God's favorite, a superior intelligence and a ruling presence on Al Aaraaf, and she alone in the universe can hear God's voice directly. She begs him to restore the lower beings on Al Aaraaf to their former high spiritual plane. In part two, she calls together all of her subjects and commands the angel of harmony Ligeia, who also exists in a nonmaterial state, to awaken the spirits of those who lie dormant. Nesace than instructs those assembled to devote their time to the contemplation of beauty and purify their natures so that their corporeal state will be transformed into pure idea. To those who do not the godly realm of perfect knowledge will always remain closed." Sova, Dawn B. (2001). Edgar Allan Poe, A to Z : the essential reference to his life and work. New York: Checkmark Books. (5)
Overall I get the gist of Al Aaraaf in that Nesace represents the beauty of Nature and Ligeia represents the musical tones of Nature with Ianthe a maiden angel and Angelo a mortal who are in love with with each other and, therefore represent passion. Also botanists might be able to pick up and recognize all the flower names mentioned but otherwise the poem was just too over the top in allegorical mystical lyricism with a lot of pretty words that just didn't coalesce into a solid train of thought to follow which made a long poem feel even longer. I just couldn't connect to Nesace and her mission nor the passion between Ianthe and Angelo.
Al Aaraaf - Part I - 2.5 Stars
Al Aaraaf - Part II - 2.5 Stars
Tamerlane - 3.5 Stars In the “Advertisement,” [on page 40 (unnumbered)] Poe is referring to his first collection of poetry, Tamerlane and Other Poems, 1827. "That collection, with only 50 copies printed, was not credited with the author's real name but by 'A Bostonian.' The poem's original version was 403 lines but trimmed down to 223 lines for its inclusion in Al Aaraaf, Tamerlane, and Minor Poems. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamerla...
MISCELLANEOUS POEMS
Preface [Romance] - 4 Stars In this poem Poe uses allusions in nature to capture the essence of romance.
To —— “Should my early life seem . . .” - 5 Stars This poem was revised several times, eventually becoming what is now best remembered under the title of A Dream within a Dream.
To —— [Song] - 3.5 Stars
To —— “The bowers wheareat, in dreams, I see . . .” (To Elmira?) - 3 Stars Killis Campbell author of The Mind of Poe and Other Studies thought that these lines refer to Elmira Royster Shelton and that lines 11 and 12 may refer to the wealth of her successful suitor and husband, Alexander Barret Shelton, who later left her fifty thousand dollars.
To the River —— - 3 Stars A beautiful poem that compares the elegance of a young woman to a crystal clear flowing river.
The Lake — To — [The Lake] - 3 Stars
Spirits of the Dead- 4 Stars
To M—— - 4 Stars
Fairyland - 4 Stars
[Sonnet — To Science] - 3 Stars
Al Aaraaf is the longest poem Poe wrote at 422 lines. Poe notes “A star was discovered by Tycho Brahe [in 1572 and was visible for about seventeen months] which burst forth, in a moment, with a splendor surpassing that of Jupiter — then gradually faded away and became invisible to the naked eye.” (page 9 unnumbered) Poe identified the supernova with Al Aaraaf, a star that was the place between paradise and hell. Also A'raf as described in the Quran is the Muslim separator realm or borderland between heaven and hell, inhabited by the evenly balanced in their sins and virtues, they are not entirely evil nor are they entirely good. "The poem mingles science with poetry and creates a dream world of ravishing sights while it emphasizes the ideal of absolute beauty. In part one of the poem, Nesace, is God's favorite, a superior intelligence and a ruling presence on Al Aaraaf, and she alone in the universe can hear God's voice directly. She begs him to restore the lower beings on Al Aaraaf to their former high spiritual plane. In part two, she calls together all of her subjects and commands the angel of harmony Ligeia, who also exists in a nonmaterial state, to awaken the spirits of those who lie dormant. Nesace than instructs those assembled to devote their time to the contemplation of beauty and purify their natures so that their corporeal state will be transformed into pure idea. To those who do not the godly realm of perfect knowledge will always remain closed." Sova, Dawn B. (2001). Edgar Allan Poe, A to Z : the essential reference to his life and work. New York: Checkmark Books. (5)
Overall I get the gist of Al Aaraaf in that Nesace represents the beauty of Nature and Ligeia represents the musical tones of Nature with Ianthe a maiden angel and Angelo a mortal who are in love with with each other and, therefore represent passion. Also botanists might be able to pick up and recognize all the flower names mentioned but otherwise the poem was just too over the top in allegorical mystical lyricism with a lot of pretty words that just didn't coalesce into a solid train of thought to follow which made a long poem feel even longer. I just couldn't connect to Nesace and her mission nor the passion between Ianthe and Angelo.
Al Aaraaf - Part I - 2.5 Stars
Al Aaraaf - Part II - 2.5 Stars
Tamerlane - 3.5 Stars In the “Advertisement,” [on page 40 (unnumbered)] Poe is referring to his first collection of poetry, Tamerlane and Other Poems, 1827. "That collection, with only 50 copies printed, was not credited with the author's real name but by 'A Bostonian.' The poem's original version was 403 lines but trimmed down to 223 lines for its inclusion in Al Aaraaf, Tamerlane, and Minor Poems. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamerla...
MISCELLANEOUS POEMS
Preface [Romance] - 4 Stars In this poem Poe uses allusions in nature to capture the essence of romance.
To —— “Should my early life seem . . .” - 5 Stars This poem was revised several times, eventually becoming what is now best remembered under the title of A Dream within a Dream.
To —— [Song] - 3.5 Stars
To —— “The bowers wheareat, in dreams, I see . . .” (To Elmira?) - 3 Stars Killis Campbell author of The Mind of Poe and Other Studies thought that these lines refer to Elmira Royster Shelton and that lines 11 and 12 may refer to the wealth of her successful suitor and husband, Alexander Barret Shelton, who later left her fifty thousand dollars.
To the River —— - 3 Stars A beautiful poem that compares the elegance of a young woman to a crystal clear flowing river.
The Lake — To — [The Lake] - 3 Stars
Spirits of the Dead- 4 Stars
To M—— - 4 Stars
Fairyland - 4 Stars
May 31, 2017
It's an epic poem about two spiritual beings who fall in love with each other and the consequences which come from it.
September 25, 2022
Al Aaraaf : Didn't understand a thing when I read it the first time but then reading it again (and in french translated by Gabriel Mourey) after having read Eureka (Poe's essay) I was able to make more sense of it but still it's hard to appreciate it fully without understanding all the mystical and religious references.
March 14, 2024
FULL REVIEW ON MY WEBSITE
https://thebookcornerchronicles.com/2...
Before we go into this review I need to be honest with you about the fact that I don’t have a clue what the poem supposed to be about.
Dont get me wrong it was eloquently and gorgeously written. Because you know Edgar Allan Poe have written it.
After some time spent thinking I have understood that this poem was about 2 spiritual beings who fall in love with each other but it also was about the consequences which come from these 2 spiritual beings falling in love which each other.
https://thebookcornerchronicles.com/2...
Before we go into this review I need to be honest with you about the fact that I don’t have a clue what the poem supposed to be about.
Dont get me wrong it was eloquently and gorgeously written. Because you know Edgar Allan Poe have written it.
After some time spent thinking I have understood that this poem was about 2 spiritual beings who fall in love with each other but it also was about the consequences which come from these 2 spiritual beings falling in love which each other.
January 11, 2021
So this is Poe's longest poem, apparently well anyway not one that I think will stay with me.
His shorter poems seem to pack more punch, this one just left me more bemused than anything.
Having said that it is still Poe, so it is better than a lot of other stuff out there!
His shorter poems seem to pack more punch, this one just left me more bemused than anything.
Having said that it is still Poe, so it is better than a lot of other stuff out there!
June 15, 2023
Moby Dick is complex because Melville earnestly tries to convey the particularities and contradictions of life. Al Aaraaf is complex because Poe is a special snowflake who read all kinds of shitty mythology. I might revisit this poem, I hated it.
April 25, 2020
I know I’m not supposed to like this one, but I did. Didn’t find it particularly mystifying either.
January 10, 2021
A praiseworthy attempt by an American poet to created poetry inspired by the Orient and the verses from the Holy Qur'an
December 1, 2024
1,5/5⭐️
June 21, 2025
Not my fav although the end was tea
December 10, 2025
Al Aaraaf despertó más mi interés que las anteriores obras del autor, pese a sentirse cómo un escrito complicado de entender.
January 8, 2023
“Al Aaraaf”
O nothing earthly save the ray..
‘Upon the flying footsteps of – deep pride – Of her who lov’d a mortal – and so died.’
(hard to get into it) **
……………………….
“Tamerlane”
I admit that the head-space I was in meant that I retained nothing from reading it. Maybe it is better than that, but I missed it.
O! craving heart, for the lost flowers
And sunshine of my summer hours!
There comes a sullenness of heart
To him who still would look upon
The glory of the summer sun.
For all we live to know is known,
And all we seek to keep hath flown—
Let life, then, as the day-flower, fall
With the noon-day beauty—which is all.
How was it that Ambition crept,
Unseen, amid the revels there,
Till growing bold, he laughed and leapt
In the tangles of Love’s very hair?
O nothing earthly save the ray..
‘Upon the flying footsteps of – deep pride – Of her who lov’d a mortal – and so died.’
(hard to get into it) **
……………………….
“Tamerlane”
I admit that the head-space I was in meant that I retained nothing from reading it. Maybe it is better than that, but I missed it.
O! craving heart, for the lost flowers
And sunshine of my summer hours!
There comes a sullenness of heart
To him who still would look upon
The glory of the summer sun.
For all we live to know is known,
And all we seek to keep hath flown—
Let life, then, as the day-flower, fall
With the noon-day beauty—which is all.
How was it that Ambition crept,
Unseen, amid the revels there,
Till growing bold, he laughed and leapt
In the tangles of Love’s very hair?
September 3, 2014
Read as part of the volume "Edgar Allan Poe Complete Tales and Poems
I particularly liked this line and its following note:
..."And sees the darkness coming as a cloud -
'Is not its form - its voice - most palpable and loud?"
"I have often thought I could distinctly hear the sound of the darkness as it stole over the horizon."
I particularly liked this line and its following note:
..."And sees the darkness coming as a cloud -
'Is not its form - its voice - most palpable and loud?"
"I have often thought I could distinctly hear the sound of the darkness as it stole over the horizon."
December 28, 2025
Al Aaraaf, Tamerlane and Minor Poems by Edgar Allan Poe is a collection of juvenilia and early poems by one of the greatest poets of the English language.
It's not that good but it's Poe.
Definitely recommend this book only for completionists.
It's not that good but it's Poe.
Definitely recommend this book only for completionists.
September 15, 2015
Ours is a world of words: Quiet we call
“Silence” — which is the merest word of all —
Here Nature speaks, and ev’n ideal things
Flap shadowy sounds from visionary wings
“Silence” — which is the merest word of all —
Here Nature speaks, and ev’n ideal things
Flap shadowy sounds from visionary wings
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews