The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1864-11-25
THE FIRE FIRND.
Ono OF foe's Experiments Towards
1.-THE Ravenyr

Ono OF Foe's Experiments Towards
1.-THE Raven.,r
The assertion lately made BY an English
critic that Poe plagiarized THE Raven from
the Persian, hos brought out several letters,
and among them one from the tragsdian Ma
CKnApY. Mr. n. says:
think the following fantastic poem "a COPY
Of which enclose). written by the poet whilst
experimenting towards the production Of that
wonderful and beautiful piece Of mechanism
numerous readers. "The Fire Fiend" Uhe ii.
tie of the poem enclose) Mr.. Poe concluded
incomplete, and threw 1t aside In disgust
Some months afterwards finding It among his
papers, he SEM it in letter to friend labelled
facetiously. to be read by freight at mid
night, after thirty drops of laudanum" Twas
Intimately acquainted with the mether-in-law
of Poe, and have frequently converscd with her
respecting The Raven, and she assured me
that he had the idea in his mind for some
years, and used frequently to repeat verses OF
it to her, and ask her opinion of them frequent
ly, making alterations and improvements ac-
cOrding to the mood he CHANGED to be in at the
time.
The poem which Mr.. MAcREADY transmitted
to the HornsnS Sta, is very long, and contains
much which is terrible, ghastiy, and too horri-
bic for print. lts author probably never de-
signed that it should see the light. We give
below the best stanzss. aid the reader will not
De SLOW 10 discover the presence OF that same
weird. wonderfully musical, sensuous harmony
which has made this singular and erratic &c.
MUS the head Of 8 distinct school of literature
60 FHN Fica FIKSD--A Stf.HrhAHn
IL the deepest death of midnight, ,yhiIr Tho
sad and solemn swell
Still! was floating, family echoed from the f,r
est chapel bell
Family fateringly floating o'cr the sable
That were through the midnight rolling. cbaf-d
and bilowy with the tolling-
III iny chamber lay dreaming by the tlrolight's
titful cleaning,
And nay dreams We're dreams torcshadowed on
heart tcredooaed To- care.
On Saie F@i Iicarths ret!dest ccn.rs from . bi.a.
ing knot of oak,
Seemed to gibe aud grin this phantom. when
in terror awoke;
Aud my slumberOuS eyelds straininraa
staggered to the floor:
Still liz that dread vision seeming. tprrea NV
gaze toward the cleaning
Hearth, and there 0 God saw IL, and from,
out its flaming jaw it
spat a ceascless, ssething tIssing bubblinr
Gurgllng stream OF gore
1he'i' as II; Dea1ns seeming shadow, in .no
| !ay, stricken, came iloarse and hiaao,.
murmur to my ear
Came murmur like the ln1rmur of assassins
III their sleep,
Muttering, " Higher higher! higher. am
Demon of the Fire:
am Archctiend of the Fire, and each blazing
roofs my pyre
And my sweetest incense is tho blood and tears
my victims weep.
How l revci On the prairie how T roar
among the pines
How laugh when from the village DER the
snow the red flame shines.
ana l near the snrieks OF terror with life in
every breath!
How scream with lambert laughter. a. T bur,
each cracking rafter
Down the tel abyss Of fire. until higher, high.
Leap the high priests Of nv altar in their
merry dance of death
In the prnsence of this hideous creation Of his
Imagination he remained palsied with fear. tiIl
The martins from the edges of its lichea-lided
lodges,
Skinned thro' the russell arches where the Iiehs
in torn files marches
Like routed army. struggling thro' the ssrried
ranks OF oak.
Thfo' my ivv-fretted easements filtered in a
tremulous note,
From the tall and stately linden. where robin
swelled his throat
Queruious Quaker-breasted robin, calling
quantity for his mate!
Then started up, unbidden, from my slumber
nightmare ridden,
With the memory of thar fire-demon in my
central fire,
a fate
All the tieudish Are had smouidcret to a
white and foriniess heap,
Aud no knot of oak was flaming as 1t famed
upon my sleep;
But around its very centre where tho demon
face had shOne
Foiked shadows seemd to finger, pointing rs
with spectral finger
To Bible. massive, golden. on table carved
and Olden,
And bowed aud said All power is Of God,
%! God alone"
---On the Sd OF October, Mexico was
!, gixNIn