The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1877-08-07
.,o.thu,no,,s Poetry.

A gITHsRTo UNPUBLISHED POEM OF THE La
HESrED EDGAR ALLEN P0E-WRlTTEN o.
rBE rLY.LRAF OF AN OLD BOOK now II
POSSESSION OF A GENTLEMAN IN THIS CITY
TKosomo tIndianaj Dispatch.l
The following beautiful posthumou,
ncem from the gifted pen OF the erratit
noet, Edgar Allen Poe, we believe ha'
never before been published in any form
either in any published collection Of Poe''
poems now extant or in any magazine OF
newspaper OF any description; and, unit
the critics shall show conclustvely to tne
contrary, the Dispatch shall claim the
honor OF giving it to the world.
That the poem has never before Deen puo,
lished, and that it is genuine proaucCloh VI
the noet who we claim to be its author, we
are satisfied from the circumstances unoer
which il came into our possession AFTER
,boro,,ph investigation. Calling at the mousse
~ gentleman OF this city the other day on
= bus;nnss GRAND, our attention was calted
- . noer, written on the blank fly-leaf OF an
oId hook. Handing Us the book, he observed
thot n the pocm) might be good enough
- nuhiish. and that il we thought so to
tsta Il along. Noticing the initials L. A.
p. at the bottom OF the poem, it struck
MS that possibly we had run across DO
nanza." so to speak, and after reading IT we
asked who its author was, when ne reiated
the following bit OF interesting remlnis-
cencc: He said he did not know who the
author was, only that be was young man
that is, he was young man when he wrote
the lines referred to. ]Ic had never seen
him himself, but heard his grandfather,
who gave him the book containing the
verses. tell OF the circumstance and the
occasion by which he (tho grandfather)
came into possession OF the book. His
grandparents kept country hotel, a
sort OF a wayside inn, in q small village
called Chesterfield, near Richmond, Va.
One night, Just before bedtime, young
man, who showed plainly the marks OF dis
sipation, raped nj the door and asked II he
could STAY all night, and was shown to
room. That was the last they saw OF him.
When they went to his room the next
morning to call him to breakfast he had
gone away and left the book, on the fly-leaf
OF which he had written the lines given be-
low.
Further than this our informant knew
nothing, and being an uneducated, lllite-
rate man, it was quite natural that he should
allow the great literary treasure to go for so
many years unpublished.
That the above statement is true, and our
discovery no canard, we will take pleasure
in satisfying any who cares TO investigate
the matter. The poem is written in Roman
characters, and is almost as legible as print
itself, although somewhat faded by the lapse
OF time. Another popularity in the manu-
script which we notice is that it contains
not the least sign OF erasure or single in
terlineated word. We give the poem Ter
6dtim-just us it appears in the original.
Here it is:
LEOEAINIE.
Lconainie-angels named her;
And they took the light
OF the laughing stars and framed her
In a smile Of white;
And they made her hair Of gloomy
Midnight, and her eyes OF bloomy
Moonshinc, and they brought her to me
In the solemn night.
IN solemn night OF summer,
When my heart of gloom
DlossomeG up to greet the conner
Like rose In bloom:
All forebodings that distressed ME
l forgot as Joy caressed me
Lying JOY that caught and pressed me
In the arms Of doom
Only spake the little lisper
In the angel-tougue;
Yet !, listening, heard her whisper
Here below that they may grlevo you-
Tales are told you to deceive you
So must Leonalnie leave you
While her loveis young"
Then God smiled and 1t was morning, q
Matchless and supreme;
Heavens glory seemed adjoining
Earth with its esteem:
Every heart but mine seemed dfted
With the voice Of prayer, and lifted
Where my Leonainie driftcd
From me like dream. +. A. T.