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Title: FOR ANNIE.
{{1849-01: —— //1850-02: ~~~~~~~~~~~~ }}
Line-01-001: THANK Heaven! the crisis —
Line-01-002: [[indent]] The danger {{1849-01: , }} 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 {{1849-01: conquer’d //1850-02: conquered }} at last.
Line-01-007: Sadly, I know
Line-01-008: [[indent]] I am shorn of my strength,
Line-01-009: And no muscle I move
Line-01-010: [[indent]] As I lie at full length {{1849-01: , //1850-02: — }}
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,
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,
Line-01-021: Are quieted now,
Line-01-022: [[indent]] With that horrible throbbing
Line-01-023: At heart: — ah that horrible,
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 {{1849-01: madden’d //1850-02: maddened }} my brain —
Line-01-029: With the fever called “Living”
Line-01-030: [[indent]] That {{1849-01: burn’d //1850-02: burned }} in my brain.
Line-01-031: And oh! of all tortures {{1849-01: , }}
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 naphthaline river
Line-01-036: [[indent]] Of Passion accurst: {{1850-02: – }}
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! let it never
Line-01-046: [[indent]] 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 —
Line-01-051: And, {{1849-01: to //1850-02: to }} sleep, you must slumber
Line-01-052: [[indent]] In just such a bed.
Line-01-053: My tantalized spirit
Line-01-054: [[indent]] Here blandly reposes,
Line-01-055: Forgetting, or never
Line-01-056: [[indent]] Regretting {{1849-01: , }} its roses —
Line-01-057: Its old agitations
Line-01-058: [[indent]] Of myrtles and roses:
Line-01-059: For now, while so quietly
Line-01-060: [[indent]] Lying, it fancies
Line-01-061: A holier {{1849-01: odour //1850-02: odor }}
Line-01-062: [[indent]] About it, of pansies —
Line-01-063: A rosemary {{1849-01: odour //1850-02: odor }} ,
Line-01-064: [[indent]] Commingled with pansies —
Line-01-065: With rue and the beautiful
Line-01-066: [[indent]] Puritan pansies.
Line-01-067: And so it lies happily,
Line-01-068: [[indent]] Bathing in many
Line-01-069: A dream of the truth
Line-01-070: [[indent]] And the beauty of Annie —
Line-01-071: {{1849-01: Drown’d //1850-02: Drowned }} in a bath
Line-01-072: [[indent]] Of the tresses of Annie.
Line-01-073: She tenderly {{1849-01: kiss’d //1850-02: kissed }} me,
Line-01-074: [[indent]] She fondly {{1849-01: caress’d //1850-02: caressed }} ,
Line-01-075: And then I fell gently
Line-01-076: [[indent]] To sleep on her breast —
Line-01-077: Deeply to sleep
Line-01-078: [[indent]] From the heaven of her breast.
Line-01-079: When the light was {{1849-01: extinguish’d //1850-02: extinguished }} ,
Line-01-080: [[indent]] She {{1849-01: cover’d //1850-02: covered }} me warm,
Line-01-081: And she {{1849-01: pray’d //1850-02: 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.
Line-01-085: And I lie so composedly,
Line-01-086: [[indent]] Now, in my bed,
Line-01-087: (Knowing her love {{1849-01: , }} )
Line-01-088: [[indent]] That you fancy me dead —
Line-01-089: And I rest so contentedly,
Line-01-090: [[indent]] Now {{1849-01: , }} in my bed,
Line-01-091: (With her love at my breast {{1849-01: , }} )
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: —
Line-01-095: But my heart it is brighter
Line-01-096: [[indent]] Than all of the many
Line-01-097: Stars in the sky,
Line-01-098: [[indent]] For it sparkles with Annie —
Line-01-099: It glows with the light
Line-01-100: [[indent]] Of the love of my Annie —
Line-01-101: With the thought of the light
Line-01-102: [[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 printed texts, pagination has been omitted in the present text.
The byline was omitted from the various printings because it was not necessary in those contexts, where Poe's authorship was already evident.
Such contracted forms as “pray’d” were probably not in Poe's manuscript and were instead imposed by Griswold, as the editor, or the typesetter for Carey & Hart, the publishers of the anthology.
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[S:0 - comparative] - Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore - Works - Poems - For Annie (Comparative Text - PPA and WORKS)