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I remember clearly- it was a cold, dark December. The fire was dying, and its light made ghostly shapes on the floor. I wished for morning to come quickly. I was heartbroken, thinking of my love, Lenore- the beautiful woman now gone forever. -
I went back inside, my heart racing. Then I heard another tapping- this time at my window. 'Surely,' I said, 'that's just the wind at the window. I'll open it and see what's there. Let me calm my heart and end this mystery. It's just the wind- and nothing more. -
I opened the window wide- and suddenly, a large black raven flew in! It didn't bow or pause for a second. It flew straight across the room and perched on a statue above my door- a statue of Athena, the goddess of wisdom. The bird sat there, and nothing more. -
But the Raven's presence made me feel strangely calm. I pulled up a chair and sat across it, right in front of the bird, the statue, and the door. Then I began to think, trying to guess what dark, strange bird meant by saying only that one word- 'Nevermore.' -
The Raven sat there quietly, as if that one word was all it knew. Nothing else did it say or do. I whispered, 'Other friends have left me before; tomorrow this bird will leave me too.' Then the Raven said again, 'Nevermore'.
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I sat there for a long time, thinking deeply, while the Raven's fiery eyes stared into my heart. I leaned back into the velvet cushions, the lamplight glowing softly. But I realized the women I loved would never sit there beside me again. Nevermore.
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'Prophet!' I said again, 'bird or demon! By heaven and by God above- Tell me truly, will I ever see my beloved Lenore again? Will I hold her once more in paradise?' The Raven said, 'Nevermore.'
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'Prophet!' I cried, 'or devil! Tell me the truth- are you sent to test me? Are you just a lost, cursed creature, or something from the underworld? Tell me- will there be any healing, any hope, any peace?' The Raven said, 'Nevermore.'
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'Leave!' I shouted. 'Go back into the storm! Don't leave any sign of your lies behind! Take your shadow away from my life! Get off that statue above my door! Take your beak out of my heart!' The Raven said, 'Nevermore.'
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And the Raven never left. It still sits on the statue above my door. Its eyes look like a demon's- cold and burning. The lamp's light throws its shadow on the floor, and my soul, trapped in that shadow, will be free- nevermore.
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One late and gloomy night, I sat in my room, tired and sad. I was reading old books to take my mind off my grief. I was almost asleep when I heard a soft tapping-like someone knocking gently at my door. 'It's just a visitor', I whispered to myself. 'Only that, and nothing more.' -
The soft, sad sound of my curtains moving in the wind filled me with a strange kind of fear I had never felt before. To calm myself, I kept saying, 'It's just someone knocking at my door- a late visitor wanting to come in. That's all it is- nothing more.' -
My heart grew a little braver. I said out loud, 'Sir or Madam, please forgive me. I was nearly asleep when I heard you knocking, so softly that I wasn't sure I heard it' I opened the door wide- but there was only darkness -
I stood there, staring into that darkness. I was nervous and full of wild thoughts. The silence felt endless. Then I whispered, 'Lenore?' And from the stillness, I heard an echo softly repeat her name-'Lenore.' Only that, and nothing more.
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At first, I smiled at how serious and proud the bird looked. 'Even though you look worn and wild,' I said, 'You aren't afraid at all. Tell me your name, mysterious Raven who comes from the night's dark shore.' The Raven said one word; 'Nevermore.' -
I was amazed that a bird could talk! It's answer didn't seem to mean much, but still, it surprised me deeply. No one had ever seen a bird perched above a door, saying a word like 'Nevermore.'
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I was startled at how quickly it replied. 'Surely,' I said, 'this bird only repeats words it learned from a sad owner- someone who faced one tragedy after another until all they could say was "Nevermore." -
Then the air around me seemed to thicken, and I smelled sweet perfume, as if angels had entered the room. 'God has sent you,' I cried to the Raven, 'to help me forget my grief for Lenore! Please, give me peace and help me forget her!' The Raven said, 'Nevermore.'