The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1875-10-15

In q discussion OF thh mental condition Of EdgT.h
iua ~ s'rlineriur october unner lh' 'lgr ~ VI , &
foliuWinE cunlctmg account OF the cgmpva'loh ol
"Thc raven
Another fact that seems to witness to his
epilcptic condition i, constituted by the ha-
bitual lying that marked the later and best
known part of his career. One instance
must illustrate the many 7 shall take it
tho, the general reader is familiar with that
remarkable analytic paper in which he de-
scribcs the composition Of "Tho Raven, "and
the plan upon which it was constructed.
American litcraturc contains nothing clever
cr in i,s way, and its clcycnc-s is manifold
enhanced when it is understood that it is
simply and unequiyocally fiction, as the ac-
tual circumstances under which the poem
was written eonclusiycly show.
Poe then occupied cottag, at Fordham
"A kind of poets nool; just ou. Of hearing
of the busy hum of the city. He had walk
ed all the way from New York that after
noon, and, having taken cup Of tea, went
out in the evening and walked about for an
hour or more. His beloved Virginia was
NNh slllllboG W NNtllll was VI lAilVuN
to procure the necessary medicines. He
was out until about ten o'clock When he
went in he sat down at his writing table and
dashed if"The Raven" He submitted it
to Mrs. GLENN for her consideration on the
same night, aud it was printed substantially
as it was written.
This account of the origin Of the poem
was communicated to me in the fall Of 1850,
by gentleman who professcd to he indebted
to Mrs GLENN rjr the facts as he stated
them; and in the course of a saunter in the
South in the summer OF 1867, | took occa-
sion to verify his story by an interview with
that aged lady. Let me now drop Mrs.
| Clemm's version to consider another, resting
upon the testimony of Colonel Du Sole, who
was intimate with Poe at this period, and
concurred in by other literary contempora-
rles who used to meet him Of q midday for Il
budget of gossip and glass Of ale at Sandy
| Welch's cellar in Ann street.
Du SOLE says that the poem was produced
stanaa by stanza at small intervals and sub
mitted by Poe piecemeal to the criticism and
emeEdation Of his intimates, who suggested
various alterations and substitutions Poe
adopted many of them. Du Sole quotes
particular instances Of phrases that were in
corporated at his suggestion, and thus "The
Raven was kind Of joint-stock affair in
which many minds held small shares of in
tellcctual capital. AT length, when the last
stone had been placed in position and passed
upon, the structure was voted complete.
The reconciliation of these conflicting YER
sions lies, possibly, in the hypothesis that he
wrote the poem, substantially, as stated by
Mrs GLENN, and aftcrward with the shrewl
idea of stimulating expectation little, OF
by way Of subtle and delicate tlattery, sub
mitted il to his friends stanza by stanza
adopting such emendations and substitution,
Of phrase as tickled his ear or suited his fan.
cy. Such alterations would scarcely affect
the general tenor Of the text, as Mrs. GLENN
first heard it, and considering the length o
the poem, appear to have been very few anc
of small Importance, granting all that Colo
mel Du Sole claims. Besides, it was like
him to amuse himself in this way, hoaxing
his friends and then laughing in his sleeve
ut them.