Text: Edgar Allan Poe, “For Annie” (Comparative Text)


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Texts Represented:

  • 1849-01 - “Annie” MS (March 23, 1849)
  • 1849-02 - Flag of Our Union (April 28, 1849)

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Title: For Annie.

{{1849-01:

//1849-02:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

}}

{{1849-01:

Byline: by Edgar A. Poe.

//1849-02:

BY EDGAR A. POE.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

}}

Line-01-001 Thank Heaven! the crisis —

Line-01-002 [[indent]] The danger is past;

Line-01-003 And the lingering illness

Line-01-004 [[indent]] Is over at last {{1849-01: —— //1849-02:}}

Line-01-005 And the fever, called {{1849-01: ‘  //1849-02: “  }} Living, {{1849-01:  ’ //1849-02:  ” }}

Line-01-006 [[indent]] Is conquered at last.

{{1849-01: —— }}

Line-01-007 Sadly, I know, I am

Line-01-008 [[indent]] Shorn of my strength {{1849-01: , //1849-02: ; }}

Line-01-009 And no muscle I move {{1849-01: , }}

Line-01-010 [[indent]] As I lie at full length: —

Line-01-011 But no matter! — I feel

Line-01-012 [[indent]] I am better {{1849-01: , }} at length.

{{1849-01: —— }}

Line-01-013 And I rest so composedly

Line-01-014 [[indent]] Now, in my bed,

Line-01-015 That any beholder

Line-01-016 [[indent]] Might fancy me dead —

Line-01-017 Might start at beholding me,

Line-01-018 [[indent]] Thinking me dead.

{{1849-01: —— }}

Line-01-019 The sickness — the nausea —

Line-01-020 [[indent]] The pitiless pain —

Line-01-021 Have ceased {{1849-01: , }} with the fever

Line-01-022 [[indent]] That maddened my brain —

Line-01-023 With the fever, called {{1849-01: ‘  //1849-02: “  }} Living, {{1849-01:  ’ //1849-02:  ” }}

Line-01-024 [[indent]] That burned in my brain.

{{1849-01: —— }}

Line-01-025 The moaning and groaning,

Line-01-026 [[indent]] The sighing and sobbing,

Line-01-027 Are quieted now, {{1849-01: with //1849-02: and the }}

Line-01-028 [[indent]] Horrible throbbing

Line-01-029 At heart: — {{1849-01: oh //1849-02: O }} , that horrible,

Line-01-030 [[indent]] Horrible throbbing!

{{1849-01: —— }}

Line-01-031 And ah! of all tortures {{1849-02: , }}

Line-01-032 [[indent]] That torture the worst {{1849-02: , }}

Line-01-033 Has abated — the terrible

Line-01-034 [[indent]] Torture of thirst

Line-01-035 For the naphthaline river

Line-01-036 [[indent]] Of {{1849-01: Glory //1849-02: glory }} accurst: —

Line-01-037 I have drank of a water

Line-01-038 [[indent]] That quenches all thirst {{1849-01: : — //1849-02: . }}

{{1849-01: —— }}

Line-01-039 Of a water that flows,

Line-01-040 [[indent]] With a lullaby sound,

Line-01-041 From a {{1849-01: spring but //1849-02: fountain, }} a very few

Line-01-042 [[indent]] Feet underground —

Line-01-043 From a cavern not very far

Line-01-044 [[indent]] Down under ground.

{{1849-01: —— }}

Line-01-045 And ah! let it never

Line-01-046 [[indent]] Be foolishly said

Line-01-047 That my room {{1849-02: , }} it is gloomy,

Line-01-048 [[indent]] And narrow my bed;

Line-01-049 For man never slept

Line-01-050 [[indent]] In a different bed —

Line-01-051 And, to sleep, you must slumber

Line-01-052 [[indent]] In just such a bed.

{{1849-01: —— }}

Line-01-053 My tantalized spirit {{1849-01: here }}

Line-01-054 [[indent]] {{1849-01: Blandly //1849-02: Here blandly }} reposes,

Line-01-055 Forgetting, or never

Line-01-056 [[indent]] Regretting, its roses —

Line-01-057 Its old agitations

Line-01-058 [[indent]] Of myrtles and roses {{1849-01: . //1849-02: : }}

{{1849-01: —— }}

Line-01-059 For now, while so quietly

Line-01-060 [[indent]] Lying, {{1849-01: I fancy //1849-02: it fancies }}

Line-01-061 A holier odor {{1849-01: about me, }}

Line-01-062 [[indent]] {{1849-01: Of pansy //1849-02: About it, of pansies }}

Line-01-063 A rosemary odor

Line-01-064 [[indent]] Commingled with {{1849-01: pansy //1849-02: pansies }}

Line-01-065 With rue and the beautiful

Line-01-066 [[indent]] Puritan {{1849-01: pansy //1849-02: pansies }} .

{{1849-01: —— }}

Line-01-067 And so {{1849-01: I lie //1849-02: it lies, }} happily

Line-01-068 [[indent]] Bathing in many

Line-01-069 A dream of the love

Line-01-070 [[indent]] And the beauty of Annie —

Line-01-071 Drowned in a bath

Line-01-072 [[indent]] Of the tresses of Annie.

{{1849-01: —— }}

Line-01-073 She tenderly kissed me —

Line-01-074 [[indent]] She fondly caressed —

Line-01-075 And then I fell gently

Line-01-076 [[indent]] To sleep on her breast —

Line-01-077 Deeply to sleep, from the

Line-01-078 [[indent]] Heaven of her breast.

{{1849-01: —— }}

Line-01-079 When the light was extinguished,

Line-01-080 [[indent]] She covered me warm;

Line-01-081 And she prayed to the angels

Line-01-082 [[indent]] To keep me from harm —

Line-01-083 To the queen of the angels

Line-01-084 [[indent]] To shield me from harm.

{{1849-01: —— }}

Line-01-085 And I lie so composedly

Line-01-086 [[indent]] Now, in my bed {{1849-01: , //1849-02:}}

Line-01-087 {{1849-01: ( }} Knowing her love {{1849-01: ) //1849-02:}}

Line-01-088 [[indent]] That you fancy me dead {{1849-01://1849-02: . }}

Line-01-089 And I rest so contentedly

Line-01-090 [[indent]] Now, in my bed,

Line-01-091 {{1849-01: ( }} With her love at my breast {{1849-01: ) //1849-02: , }}

Line-01-092 [[indent]] That you fancy me dead —

Line-01-093 That you shudder to look at me,

Line-01-094 [[indent]] Thinking me dead {{1849-01: : — //1849-02: . }}

{{1849-01: —— }}

Line-01-095 But my heart {{1849-02: , }} it is brighter

Line-01-096 [[indent]] Than all of the many

Line-01-097 Stars of the {{1849-01: Heaven — for it //1849-02: heaven, }}

Line-01-098 [[indent]] {{1849-01: Sparkles //1849-02: For it sparkles }} with Annie —

Line-01-099 It glows with the {{1849-01: thought //1849-02: fire }}

Line-01-100 [[indent]] Of the love of my Annie —

Line-01-101 With the thought of the light

Line-01-102 {{1849-01: [[indent]] }} Of the eyes of my Annie.

 


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Notes:

For an explanation of the formatting used in this Comparative Text, see editorial policies and methods. This format is very much an experiment, particularly for poetry.

Because these changes reflect two different presenations, pagination has been omitted in the present text.

 

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[S:0 - comparative] - Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore - Works - Poems - For Annie (Comparative Text - Annie MS and Chester MS)