Text: Edgar Allan Poe, “Ulalume. A Ballad” (Comparative Text)

 

Title:

 

Line-01-001: {{1847-01: THE //1849-02: The //1849-03: THE }} skies they were ashen and sober;

Line-01-002: [indent] The leaves they were {{1847-01: crispèd //1849-02: crispéd //1849-03: crispèd }} and sere —

Line-01-003: [indent] The leaves they were withering and sere {{1847-01: ; //1849-02; 1849-03: : }}

Line-01-004: It was night {{1849-02; 1849-03: , }} in the lonesome October

Line-01-005: [indent] Of my most immemorial year {{1847-01: ; //1849-02; 1849-03: : }}

Line-01-006: It was hard by the dim lake of Auber,

Line-01-007: [indent] In the misty mid region of Weir {{1849-02: : }} —

Line-01-008: It was down by the dank tarn of Auber,

Line-01-009: [indent] In the ghoul-haunted woodland of Weir.

 

Line-01-010: Here once, through an alley Titanic,

Line-01-011: [indent] Of cypress, I roamed with my Soul —

Line-01-012: [indent] Of cypress, with Psyche, my Soul.

Line-01-013: These were days when my heart was volcanic

Line-01-014: [indent] As the scoriac rivers that roll —

Line-01-015: [indent] As the lavas that restlessly roll

Line-01-016: Their sulphurous currents down Yaanek {{1849-02: , }}

Line-01-017: [indent] In the ultimate climes of the {{1847-01: pole //1849-02; 1849-03: Pole }} —

Line-01-018: That groan as they roll down Mount Yaanek {{1849-02: , }}

Line-01-019: [indent] In the realms of the {{1847-01: boreal pole //1849-02; 1849-03: Boreal Pole }} .

 

Line-01-020: Our talk had been serious and sober,

Line-01-021: [indent] But our thoughts they were palsied and sere —

Line-01-022: [indent] Our memories were treacherous and sere {{1847-01: — //1849-02; 1849-03: ; }}

Line-01-023: For we knew not the month was October,

Line-01-024: [indent] And we marked not the night of the year —

Line-01-025: [indent] (Ah, night of all nights in the year!)

Line-01-026: We noted not the dim lake of Auber {{1847-01: — //1849-02; 1849-03: , }}

Line-01-027: [indent] (Though once we had journeyed down here) {{1847-01: — }}

Line-01-028: We remembered not the dank tarn of Auber,

Line-01-029: [indent] Nor the ghoul-haunted woodland of Weir.

 

Line-01-030: And now, as the night was senescent {{1849-02: , }}

Line-01-031: [indent] And star-dials pointed to morn —

Line-01-032: [indent] As the star-dials hinted of morn —

Line-01-033: At the end of our path a liquescent

Line-01-034: [indent] And nebulous lustre was born {{1847-01: , //1849-02: [[,]] //1849-03: , }}

Line-01-035: Out of which a miraculous crescent

Line-01-036: [indent] Arose with a duplicate horn —

Line-01-037: Astarte's bediamonded crescent {{1849-02: , }}

Line-01-038: [indent] Distinct with its duplicate horn.

 

Line-01-039: And I said — “She is warmer than Dian {{1847-01: : //1849-02; 1849-03: ; }}

Line-01-040: [indent] She rolls through an ether of sighs —

Line-01-041: [indent] She revels in a region of sighs {{1847-01: : //1849-02: . //1849-03: — }}

Line-01-042: She has seen that the tears are not dry on

Line-01-043: [indent] These cheeks {{1847-01: , //1849-02: [[,]] //1849-03: , }} where the worm never dies,

Line-01-044: And has come past the stars of the Lion {{1849-02: , }}

Line-01-045: [indent] To point us the path to the skies —

Line-01-046: [indent] To the Lethean peace of the skies —

Line-01-047: Come up, in despite of the Lion,

Line-01-048: [indent] To shine on us with her bright eyes —

Line-01-049: Come up through the lair of the Lion {{1847-01: [[,]] //1849-02; 1849-03: , }}

Line-01-050: [indent] With Love in her luminous eyes. {{1847-01:  ” //1849-02: [[”]] //1849-03:  ” }}

 

Line-01-051: But Psyche, uplifting her finger,

Line-01-052: [indent] Said — “Sadly this star I mistrust —

Line-01-053: [indent] Her pallor I strangely mistrust {{1847-01: : }} —

Line-01-054: {{1847-01: Oh //1849-02; 1849-03: Ah }} , hasten! — {{1847-01: oh //1849-02: ah //1849-03: Ah }} , let us not linger!

Line-01-055: [indent] {{1847-01: Oh //1849-02; 1849-03: Ah }} , fly! — let us fly! — for we must.”

Line-01-056: In terror she spoke {{1847-01: , //1849-02: ; //1849-03: , }} letting sink her

Line-01-057: [indent] Wings till they trailed in the dust —

Line-01-058: In agony sobbed {{1847-01: , //1849-02; 1849-03: ; }} letting sink her

Line-01-059: [indent] Plumes till they trailed in the dust —

Line-01-060: [indent] Till they sorrowfully trailed in the dust.

 

Line-01-061: I replied — “This is nothing but dreaming {{1847-01: : //1849-02: . //1849-03: : }}

Line-01-062: [indent] Let us on {{184-02: , }} by this tremulous light!

Line-01-063: [indent] Let us bathe in this crystalline light!

Line-01-064: Its Sybillic splendor is beaming

Line-01-065: [indent] With Hope and in Beauty to-night {{1847-01; 1849-03: : }} —

Line-01-066: {{1849-03: [indent] }} See! {{1847-01; 1849-02: — }} it flickers up the sky through the night!

Line-01-067: Ah, we safely may trust to its gleaming {{1847-01: , //1849-02: [[,]] //1849-03: , }}

Line-01-068: [indent] And be sure it will lead us aright —

Line-01-069: We {{1847-01: safely //1849-02; 1849-03: surely }} may trust to a gleaming {{1849-03: , }}

Line-01-070: [indent] That cannot but guide us aright {{1847-01: , //1849-02: [[,]] //1849-03: , }}

Line-01-071: [indent] Since it flickers up to Heaven through the night.”

 

Line-01-072: Thus I pacified Psyche and kissed her,

Line-01-073: [indent] And tempted her out of her gloom —

Line-01-074: [indent] And conquered her scruples and gloom {{1847-01: : //1849-02; 1849-03: ; }}

Line-01-075: And we passed to the end of the vista {{1847-01: , //1849-02: — //1849-03: , }}

Line-01-076: [indent] {{1847-01: And //1849-02; 1849-03: But }} were stopped by the door of a tomb —

Line-01-077: [indent] By the door of a legended tomb {{1847-01: ; //1849-02: : — //1849-03: ; }}

Line-01-078: And I said — “What is written, sweet sister,

Line-01-079: [indent] On the door of this legended tomb?”

Line-01-080: {{1849-02; 1849-03: [indent] }} She replied — “Ulalume — Ulalume {{1849-02; 1849-03: ! }} —

Line-01-081: {{1847-01: ’Tis //1849-02; 1849-03: [indent] ’T is }} the vault of thy lost Ulalume!”

 

Line-01-082: Then my heart it grew ashen and sober

Line-01-083: {{1847-01; 1849-02: [indent] }} As the leaves that were {{1847-01: crispèd //1849-02: crispéd //1849-03: crispèd }} and sere —

Line-01-084: [indent] As the leaves that were withering and sere {{1847-01: , //1849-02: — //1849-03: ; }}

Line-01-085: And I cried — “It was surely October {{1849-02: , }}

Line-01-086: [indent] On this very night of last year {{1849-02: , }}

Line-01-087: [indent] That I journeyed — I journeyed down here {{1849-02; 1849-03: ! }} —

Line-01-088: [indent] That I brought a dread burden down here —

Line-01-089: [indent] On this night {{1849-02: , }} of all nights in the year,

Line-01-090: [indent] {{1847-01: Oh //1849-02: Ah, //1849-03: Ah! }} what demon has tempted me here?

Line-01-091: Well I know, now, this dim lake of Auber —

Line-01-092: [indent] This misty mid region of Weir {{1849-02: , }} —

Line-01-093: Well I know, now, this dank tarn of Auber {{1847-01: , //1849-02; 1849-03: — }}

Line-01-094: [indent] {{1847-01: In the //1849-02; 1849-03: This }} ghoul-haunted woodland of Weir.”

 

Line-01-095: Said we, then {{1849-02: , }} — the two, then {{1849-02: , }} — “Ah, can it

Line-01-096: [indent] Have been that the woodlandish ghouls —

Line-01-097: [indent] The pitiful, the merciful ghouls {{1847-01: — //1849-02: , //1849-03: — }}

Line-01-098: To bar up our way and to ban it

Line-01-099: [indent] From the secret that lies in these wolds —

Line-01-100: [indent] From the thing that lies hidden in these wolds —

Line-01-101: {{1847-01: Had //1849-02; 1849-03: Have }} drawn up the spectre of a planet

Line-01-102: [indent] From the limbo of lunary souls {{1847-01; 1849-02: — //1849-03: , }}

Line-01-103: This sinfully scintillant planet

Line-01-104: [indent] From the Hell of the planetary souls?”