The Washington critic., 1888-03-03
PoE's GUARDIAN ANGEL
A Reminiscence of Her Ministration
TO the Hapless Poet.


TO the Hapless Poet.
In "Sartain's Magazine" for April,
1850, stray leaf from which has been
kindly sent THE CRITIC by Mrs. +. J.
Winnie Of this city, appears an edito-
rial notice of the "Works Of Edgar A.
Poe" which had been recently pub
lished by j. S. Redfield, New York.
A letter from Mr.. N. P. Willis was
prefxed to the book, of which por-
tion is reproduced as follows:
"Our first knowledge of Mr.. Poe's
removal to this city," CNew York;
says Mr.. Willis, twas by call which
we received from lady who intro
duced herself to us as the mother of
his wife. She was in search of en-
ployment for him, and she excused
her errand by mentioning that he was
Ill, that her daughter was confirmed
invalid, and that their circumstances
were such as compelled her taking il
upon herself. The countenance of
this lady, made beautiful and sanity
with an evidently complete giving up
of her life to privation and sorrowfnl
tenderness, her gentle and mournful
voice urging its plea, her long-forgot-
ten but habitually and unconsciously
refined manners, and her appealing
and yet appreciative mention of the
claims and abilities of her son, dis
closed at once the presence of one of
those angels upon earth that women
in adversity can be-"
TT was a hard fate that she was
watching over. Mr.. Poe wrote with
fastidious difficulty, and in style too
much above the popular level to be
well paid. He was always in pecu-
mary difficulty, and, with his sick
wife, frequently in want of the merest
necessaries of life. Winter after win
ter, for years, the most touching sight
to us, in this whole city has been that
tireless minister to genius, thinly and
insutiiciently clad, going from Office
to office with poem, or an article on
some literary subject, to sell-some-
times simply pleading in a broken
voice that he was i'll, and begging for
him-mentioning nothing but that he
was Ill > whatever might be the rea-
son for his writing nothing--and
never, amid all her tears and recitals
of distress, suffering one syllable to
escape her lips that could convey
doubt of him, or complaint, or q
lessening of pride in his genius and
good intentions.
"Her daughter died year and
a half since, but she did not de-
sert him. She continued his minis
tering angel - living with him,
caring for him, guarding him against
exposure, and, when he was carried
away by temptation, amid grief and
the loneliness of feelings unreplied to,
and awoke from his self-abandon-
ment prostrated in destitution and
suffering, begging for him still. If
woman's devotion, born with first
love, and fed with human passion,
hallow its object, as it is allowed to
do, what does not devotion like this
pure, disinterested, and holy as the
watch of an invisible spirit-say for
him who inspired it?
ITO hedge round q grave with re-
spect, what choice is there, between
the relinquished wealth and honors
of the world, and the story of such a
woman's unrewarded devotion Risk
ing what we do, indelicacy, by MAX
ing it public, we feel--other reasons
aside-that it betters the world to
make known that there are such min
istrations to its erring and gifted.
What we have said will speak to-
some hearts. They are those who
will be glad to know how the lamp,
whose light of poetry has beamed on
their far-away recognition, was
watched over with care and pain
that they may send to her, who is
more darkened than they by its ex-
tinction, some token of their SYM
pathy. She is destitute, and alone.
If any, far or near, will send to us
what may aid and cheer her through
the remainder of her life, we will
joyfully place it in her hands,"
The editor says, in conclusion, that
If any of our readers want an ad-
ditional reason for the purchase of
these volumes, beyond the fact of
their intrinsic value, it will crafty
them to know that the proceeds of
the sale are for the benefit of the esti-
mable lady mentioned in Mr.. Will
lis's SKETCH"
1t was this lady, the mother of his
deceased wife, to whom Poe, not long
before his death, addressed the fol-
lowing beautiful sonnet published in
the Leaflets" for 1850:
TO MY MOTHER.
Because | feel that, in the heavens above,
The angels, whispering to one another,
Can find among their burning terms of Hove
None so devotional as that of Mother"
Therefore, by that dear name | long have
called you
You who are more than mother unto me,
And till my heart of hearts, where Death in.
stalled you
In setting my Virgnia's spirit free.
Ny mother-my own mother-who died early,
Was but the mother of myself; but you
Are mother TO the one loved so dearly,
And thus are dearer than the mother
knew,
BY that infnity with which my wife
was dearer to my soul than its soul.lfe.