Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-23
REAL STORY OF THE RAVEN
POET ATTACHED LITTLE I'M
PoRTNCE TO MASTERPIECE.
Magazine Editor Could Not See Any
Merit or Beauty in the Poem.
Poverty Of the Poet.
From Current Literature.

From Current Literature.
1t is always tempting to peep behind the
scenes of a poets workshop. Such peep
is afforded US in recollections of POE by
Mrs Susan Archer Weiss. one OF the 1e"
surviving friends of the author or what lS
regarded by many as the greatest Amer
lean poem. To his biographer, 1t Is true
Poe Is not clothed in mantle or mystery
and romance; she has seen him IN MS
frolicsome moods; she has also seen him
In the sordid embarrassments of poverty
and of drink 1t takes poets eye and
intellectual subtlety s.t&i
ITO trace .s--.F .
and the lady whose chief distinction it is
to have been ON intimate terms with Poe
is neither poetic nor subtle. She tells us
that Poe's child-bride, the lovely Virginia
GLENN, was not the delicate creature we
have fancied. but a plump little g RI. with
the undeveloped mind of a child. who had
Raven" perhaps the new worlds most
celebrated single contribution to litera-
ture, is marred in her mind by imperiec.
tions because its author in hypercritlcal
moment revealed it's 'knotty points" to
her and asked her advice in the matter
Poe himself, in one of his most character.
istfc ESSAYS. has related to us the official
history of his masterpiece. and pointed
out how carefully each erect had been
planned The sincerity of this document
has often been questioned: 1t is. on the
whole borne out by the poets converse
ton with Mrs. Weiss. There are. how
ever in the inside history of the piece. as
related by her, number Of new and sug-
gestive data. 1t seems that. owing 10
certain slight imperfections, Poe never at
tached much weight to his poem This
opinion was shared by many He worked
over the poem for a period Of ten years.
At one time being in need of money, ne
hastily completed the manuscript and OF
| fereCi it to Mr.. Graham of Graham Mag
azine. The latter, not satished as 10 the
POEMS literary merits, declined it, but ex-
pressed his willingness to abide by the
decision of a number of the ONCE en-
ployes, clerks and others. who. Deing
called in. sat solemnly attentive and CRIT
ical. while Poe read his somber ballad:
Their decision we are told. was against
1t; but. on learning of the poets penniless
condition and that. as he confessed ne
had no money to buy medicine Tor MS SICK
wife, collected $15 by subscriptlon Wnich
was given not to Poe himself, but to Mrs
GLENN, .'for the use of the sick lady.
This tragi-comic incident deserves to be
chronicled in every editorial once LOT
who knows how many masterpieces may
not have been and still are rejected In a
similar manner by the powers that be IN
the VOL. of letters?
Takes World by Storm.
In 1S45 the poem was at last puDished
in the Evening Mirror taking the world
by storm. Probably, Mrs. Weiss amrms'
no one was more surprised at It's lmmeoi-
ate success than was Poe himsell. VINO
now found himself elevated 10 the hishest
rank Of American literary Iame. WIN
this his worldly fortune should also nave
risen. vet we find him going on IN the
same rut as before. writing but nttie ior
the magazines and for that nttie Dehs
poorly paid-too poorly to enaDie tne ta,n-
ily to live in any degree or comfort.
from one cheap lodging to another they
removed with such frequency as to sug-
eest to us the suspicion tnat ',e' Ieh'
was not always ready when due.
some time later Mrs. Weiss sat IN her
nsrlor at Talavera Opposite her sat Pee
4 basket of grapes had been placed ne
tween them. and they chaIteu nsn'y aS
they partook of the fruit For some mSs
ferrous reason the poet thereupon initiated
The worthy ladv into his theory of COM
nosition. ~ make a study OF my poems.
he said, Zine by line and WORD py y, ~oro.
and revise and correct them until they
are as perfect as possible. the CONVEX
sation turned on 1.-The Raven" The poet
related how he had worked upon the poep
for more than ten years. aiterihs ana
emitting and even changing the genera
plan. His first intention: rs we ma aa,,
read in his essay, had been snort poem
based upon the incident OF an Owl,
night bird. the bird of wisdom. entering
the window of the vault where he sat be-
side the bier of his lost Lenore. Then
he had changed the owl for the raven:
for the sake OF the latter's "Nevermore.
But-and this point he was care1ui not
to mention in his essay-he did not OBJ
uterate all traces of the owl In the poem.
why. for instance. should the raven. not
heing a night-bird. be attracted by
lighted window, and why should 1t perch
unon s.the bust of Pallas. which would
be far more appropriate act IN the case
of the OWL Minerva's own bird!
Never Finished Raven.
1.-THE Raven" Poe remarked to Mrs.
Weiss was never completed. 1t was
published before l had given the final
touches There were in 1t certain knotty
points and tangles which l had never
been able to overcome, and ] let 1t go
as It was" He was many times on the
point of destroying 1t, and in the chron
under the nom de plume ."Quarles' be-
cause of the authors lack of confidence
in its merit Had 1t proven failure. she
tells us. he would never have acknowl- |
edged his authorship. "If 1 had copy
here he remarked. In the conversation
with Mrs. Weiss. Il could show you
those knotty points of which l spoke and
which / have found 1t impossible to do
away with. Perhaps you will help me.
/ am sure you can help me. If you will.
''I was not particularly flattered by this |
proposal" Mrs. Weiss remarks. know |
ing that since his coming to Richmond |
he had made a similar request Of at least |
However. / cleared the table Of the |
fruit and the flowers and placed before |