"Eulalie," or "Eulalie - A Song," is a poem by Edgar Allan Poe, first published in the July 1845 issue of the The American Review and reprinted shortly thereafter in the August 9, 1845 issue of the Broadway Journal.
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The poem is a bridal song about a man who overcomes his sadness by marrying the beautiful Eulalie.[1] The woman's love here has a transformative effect on the narrator, taking him from a "world of moan" to one of happiness.[2]
The poem utilizes Poe's frequent theme of "the death of a beautiful woman", which he considered to be "the most poetical topic in the world."[3] The use of this theme has often been suggested to be autobiographical by Poe critics and biographers, stemming from the repeated loss of women throughout Poe's life, including his mother Eliza Poe and his foster mother Frances Allan.[4] If autobiographical, "Eulalie" may be referring to Poe's relationship with his wife Virginia. It seems to express that she lifted his spirits and washed away his feelings of loneliness. After Virginia's death in 1845, Poe scribbled on a manuscript copy of "Eulalie" a couplet, now known as "Deep in Earth."[5] It is unclear if Poe intended this to be part of "Eulalie," an unfinished new poem, or just a personal note.
The name Eulalie emphasizes the letter "L," a frequent device in Poe's female characters such as "Annabel Lee," "Lenore," and "Ulalume."[6]
The poem was first published as "Eulalie - A Song" in the July 1845 issue of the American Review - it was the only new poem Poe published that year.[7]
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| Eulalie by |
I dwelt alone
In a world of moan,
And my soul was a stagnant tide,
Till the fair and gentle Eulalie became my blushing bride-
Till the yellow-haired young Eulalie became my smiling bride.
Ah, less- less bright
The stars of the night
Than the eyes of the radiant girl!
And never a flake
that the vapor can make
With the moon-tints of purple and pearl,
Can vie with the modest Eulalie's most unregarded curl-
Can compare with the bright-eyed Eulalie's most humble and
careless
curl.
Now Doubt- now Pain
Come never again,
For her soul gives me sigh for sigh,
And all day long
Shines, bright and strong,
Astarte within the sky,
While ever to her dear Eulalie upturns her matron eye-
While ever to her young Eulalie upturns her violet eye.
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French form the saints' name Eulalia, from Ancient Greek "sweetly speaking".
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Singular |
Plural |
Eulalie
Eulalie (f)
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