rcrx

On this day, 19th of January 1808, was born Edgar Allan Poe.



Creating or influencing poetry, mystery, science fiction as well as a indelibly etching his imagery across
generations of artists, Poe has achieved more since his untimely and mysterious death than any could have imagined at that time. He is so beloved in my hometown, Baltimore, Maryland, that we named our professional football team after one of his most famous characters. For many years an unknown person visited Poe's grave in Baltimore and would leave three roses and toast Poe with a dram of cognac. This went on for over 60 years and the "Poe Toaster" was never known. For the past 2 years the Poe Toaster has not appeared. In the wee hours of this morning we hope that he resumes his visits. In any event, I like my fellow Baltimoreans will honor Poe with our own varied toasts and homages.

I leave you with one of Poe's most beloved works, Annabel Lee, first published in 1849.

Annabel Lee

It was many and many a year ago,
In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of ANNABEL LEE;
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
Than to love and be loved by me.
She was a child and I was a child,
In this kingdom by the sea,
But we loved with a love that was more than love
I and my Annabel Lee
With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven
Coveted her and me.

And this was the reason that, long ago,
In this kingdom by the sea,
A wind blew out of a cloud by night
Chilling my Annabel Lee;
So that her high-born kinsman came
And bore her away from me,
To shut her up in a sepulchre
In this kingdom by the sea.

The angels, not half so happy in Heaven,
Went envying her and me:
Yes! that was the reason (as all men know,
In this kingdom by the sea)
That the wind came out of a cloud, chilling
And killing my Annabel Lee.

But our love it was stronger by far than the love
Of those who were older than we
Of many far wiser than we-
And neither the angels in Heaven above,
Nor the demons down under the sea,
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee:

For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And the stars never rise but I see the bright eyes
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
Of my darling, my darling, my life and my bride,
In her sepulchre there by the sea
In her tomb by the side of the sea.