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

 

Title: For Annie.

 

 

Line-01-001 {{1849-01; 1849-02: Thank //1849-03: 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 —

Line-01-005 And the fever called “Living”

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

——

Line-01-007 Sadly, I know, {{1849-01: I am }}

Line-01-008 [[indent]] {{1849-01: Shorn //1849-02; 1849-03: I am shorn }} of my strength,

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 at length.

——

Line-01-013 And I rest so composedly {{1849-02; 1849-03: , }}

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.

——

Line-01-019 The moaning and groaning,

Line-01-020 [[indent]] The sighing and sobbing {{1849-01; 1849-02: , //1849-03: [[,]] }}

Line-01-021 Are quieted now {{1849-01: ; with //1849-02; 1849-03: , }}

Line-01-022 [[indent]] {{1849-01: The //1849-02; 1849-03: With that }} horrible throbbing

Line-01-023 At heart: — ah {{1849-01; 1849-02: , }} that horrible {{1849-01: , //1849-02: [[,]] //1849-03: , }}

Line-01-024 [[indent]] Horrible throbbing!

——

Line-01-025 The sickness — the nausea —

Line-01-026 [[indent]] The pitiless pain —

Line-01-027 Have ceased, with the fever

Line-01-028 [[indent]] That maddened my brain —

Line-01-029 With the fever called “Living”

Line-01-030 [[indent]] That burned in my brain.

——

Line-01-031 And oh {{1849-01: , //1849-02; 1849-03: ! }} of all tortures

Line-01-032 [[indent]] That torture the worst

Line-01-033 Has abated — the terrible

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

Line-01-035 For the napthaline rivers

Line-01-036 [[indent]] Of Passion accurst {{1849-01: ! //1849-02; 1849-03: : }} —

Line-01-037 I have drank of a water

Line-01-038 [[indent]] That quenches all thirst: —

——

Line-01-039 Of a water that flows,

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

Line-01-041 From a spring but a very few

Line-01-042 [[indent]] Feet under ground —

Line-01-043 From a cavern not very far

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

——

Line-01-045 And ah {{1849-01: , //1849-02; 1849-03: ! }} let it never {{1849-01: be }}

Line-01-046 [[indent]] {{1849-01: Foolishly //1849-02; 1849-03: Be foolishly }} said

Line-01-047 That my room 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 {{1849-01: ; //1849-02; 1849-03: — }}

Line-01-051 And, {{1849-01: to //1849-02; 1849-03: to }} sleep, you must slumber

——

[[... the remaining stanzas are lost, the following lines are compared against the Home Journal printing:]]

Line-01-052 My {{1849-01: tantalised [[tantalized]] //1849-03: tantalized }} spirit {{1849-01: , here, }}

Line-01-053 [[indent]] {{1849-01: Blandly //1849-03: Here blandly }} reposes,

Line-01-054 Forgetting, or never

Line-01-055 [[indent]] Regretting, its roses —

Line-01-056 Its old agitations

Line-01-057 [[indent]] Of myrtles and roses.

——

Line-01-058 For now, while so quietly

Line-01-059 [[indent]] Lying, {{1849-01: I fancy //1849-03: it fancies }}

Line-01-060 A holier odor {{1849-01: about me, }}

Line-01-061 [[indent]] {{1849-01: Of pansy //1849-03: About it, of pansies }} —

Line-01-062 A rosemary odor {{1849-03: , }}

Line-01-063 [[indent]] Commingled with {{1849-01: pansy //1849-03: pansies }} —

Line-01-064 With rue and the beautiful

Line-01-065 [[indent]] Puritan {{1849-01: pansy //1849-03: pansies }} .

——

Line-01-066 And so {{1849-01: I lie tranquilly //1849-03: it lies happily }} ,

Line-01-067 [[indent]] Bathing in many

Line-01-068 A dream of the truth

Line-01-069 [[indent]] And the beauty of Annie —

Line-01-070 Drowned in a bath

Line-01-071 [[indent]] Of the tresses of Annie.

——

Line-01-072 She tenderly kissed me,

Line-01-073 [[indent]] She fondly caressed,

Line-01-074 And then I fell gently

Line-01-075 [[indent]] To sleep on her breast —

Line-01-076 Deeply to sleep {{1849-01: from the }}

Line-01-077 [[indent]] {{1849-01: Heaven //1849-03: from the heaven }} of her breast.

——

Line-01-078 When the light was extinguished {{1849-03: , }}

Line-01-079 [[indent]] She covered me warm,

Line-01-080 And she prayed to the angels

Line-01-081 [[indent]] To keep me from harm —

Line-01-082 To the queen of the angels

Line-01-083 [[indent]] To shield me from harm.

——

Line-01-084 And I lie so composedly {{1849-03: , }}

Line-01-085 [[indent]] Now, in my bed,

Line-01-086 (Knowing her love)

Line-01-087 [[indent]] That you fancy me dead —

Line-01-088 And I rest so contentedly {{1849-03: , }}

Line-01-089 [[indent]] Now, in my bed,

Line-01-090 (With her love at my breast)

Line-01-091 [[indent]] That you fancy me dead —

Line-01-092 That you shudder to look at me,

Line-01-093 [[indent]] Thinking me dead {{1849-01: . //1849-03: : — }}

——

Line-01-094 But my heart it is brighter

Line-01-095 [[indent]] Than all of the many

Line-01-096 Stars of the sky, {{1849-01: for it }}

Line-01-097 [[indent]] {{1849-01: Sparkles //1849-03: For it sparkles }} with Annie —

Line-01-098 It glows with the light

Line-01-099 [[indent]] Of the love of my Annie —

Line-01-100 With the thought of the light

Line-01-101 [[indent]] Of the eyes of my Annie.

——