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Text: Edgar Allan Poe, "Eulalie" (Y), questionable "Carter" manuscript, February 1843




[[This version has the changes applied]]
Eulalie.

     I dwelt alone
     In a world of moan,
And my soul was a stagnant tide,
Till the fair and gentle Eulalie became my blushing bride —
Till the yellow-haired young Eulalie became my smiling bride.

     And ah! less bright
     The stars of the night
Than the eyes of the radiant girl,
     And never a flake
     Their lustre can make
Of the vapor and gold and pearl,
Can vie with the sweet young Eulalie's most humble and careless curl —
Can compare with the bright-eyed Eulalie's most vagrant and careless curl.

     Now Doubt — now Pain —
     Come never again,
For her soul gives me sigh for sigh,
     And all day long
     Shines bright and strong
Astart [[Astarte]] in the purple sky,
And ever to her dear Eulalie upturns her matron eye —
And ever to her young Eulalie upturns her violet eye.




[[This version gives the text as originally printed, with indications for
Poe's changes]]
Eulalie.

     I dwelt alone
     In a world of moan,
And my soul was a stagnant tide,
Till the fair and gentle Eulalie became my blushing bride —
Till the yellow-haired young Eulalie became my smiling bride.

     And ah! less bright
     The stars of the night
Than the eyes of the radiant girl,
     And never a flake
     Their lustre can make
Of the vapor and gold and pearl,
Can vie with the sweet young Eulalie's most humble and careless curl —
Can compare with the bright-eyed Eulalie's most vagrant and careless curl.

     Now Doubt — now Pain —
     Come never again,
For her soul gives me sigh for sigh,
     And all day long
     Shines bright and strong
>>The moon<< <Astart> [[Astarte]] in the purple sky,
And ever to >>it<< <her> dear Eulalie upturns her matron eye —
And ever to >>it<< <her> young Eulalie upturns her violet eye.








Notes:

This manuscript was supposedly sent by Poe to Robert Carter with a letter dated February 16, 1843. Mabbott is suspicious of the "inflated" tone of the letter, though he notes that the manuscript, if a forgery, is a skillful one (Poems, 1:349). It carefully follows the manuscript of version "A," a curious coincidence for a forgery. Mabbott's concern may be influenced by his belief that the poem was at least partially inspired by three items in the New Mirror of October 14, 1843 (Poems, 1:347), a theory that would be essentially disproved by the existence of such an early manuscript.





 
[S:1 - MS, 1843] - Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore - Works - Poems - Eulalie (Y)