How darkly appropriate to celebrate Halloween not only with a great poem by Poe about the loss of his beloved, but also with a wonderful black and white image of a graveyard, complete with a crow - or is it a Raven? - on a cross-shaped headstone. Excellent, Erik!
Curious tidbit: The “H” in "ghoul" belongs there, because the word comes from the Arabic root Gh.W.L, meaning “to seize.” But the “H” in "ghost" does not belong; it was added in the 1400’s to make the English better match the Flemish "gheest."
A ghoul seizes human corpses, while a ghost was originally a person’s spirit, which only became ghostly if it didn’t properly depart the earth when it left the body (when a person “gave up the ghost.”)
Both ghouls and ghosts now are ghastly, another word with a phantom “H.”
And as for phantom: It should be spelled “fantam,” coming as it does from the Greek φάντασμα, that is, “fantasma” — which is actually an English word, usually spelled “phantasma” (when it’s spelled at all). A phantasma is an appearance. The word is ultimately from the Greek φῶς (fos), “light,” which root gives us phantoms (things that are seen — whether they exist or not), as well as fantasy and even fancy. The “ph” in phantom makes sense. The “O” where there should be an “A” appeared out of nowhere, as ghosts and goblins often do.
A goblin, by the way, is what the Oxford English Dictionary calls “a mischievous and ugly demon.” But if you call a goblin ugly you’re on your own…
I just love the lushness of his language unafraid to go into the dark and on this poem and its rhythm i venture even gleefully as it's not unfamiliar but within my own nature too. Thank you!
How darkly appropriate to celebrate Halloween not only with a great poem by Poe about the loss of his beloved, but also with a wonderful black and white image of a graveyard, complete with a crow - or is it a Raven? - on a cross-shaped headstone. Excellent, Erik!
Thanks for that ballad! Wonder what the master of the macabre would write about our distress, of this moment? Probably, he would say “nevermore”.
Ballads are written to be sung and howled
Jammed and slammed, heavy metal loud - lsc
It reads so smoothly in the style of an incantation. Definitely masterful.
Curious tidbit: The “H” in "ghoul" belongs there, because the word comes from the Arabic root Gh.W.L, meaning “to seize.” But the “H” in "ghost" does not belong; it was added in the 1400’s to make the English better match the Flemish "gheest."
A ghoul seizes human corpses, while a ghost was originally a person’s spirit, which only became ghostly if it didn’t properly depart the earth when it left the body (when a person “gave up the ghost.”)
Both ghouls and ghosts now are ghastly, another word with a phantom “H.”
And as for phantom: It should be spelled “fantam,” coming as it does from the Greek φάντασμα, that is, “fantasma” — which is actually an English word, usually spelled “phantasma” (when it’s spelled at all). A phantasma is an appearance. The word is ultimately from the Greek φῶς (fos), “light,” which root gives us phantoms (things that are seen — whether they exist or not), as well as fantasy and even fancy. The “ph” in phantom makes sense. The “O” where there should be an “A” appeared out of nowhere, as ghosts and goblins often do.
A goblin, by the way, is what the Oxford English Dictionary calls “a mischievous and ugly demon.” But if you call a goblin ugly you’re on your own…
Some of this information is summarized in Joseph T Shipley's enormously fun "Dictionary of Word Origins": https://amzn.to/3C7gqm2
Very apros-Poe! :)
So clever! Thanks for the smile. :)
I spelled it wrong 😑!
I like the way you spelled it. :)
Thanks! 😊
Excellent choice.
the repetition and alliteration here make it such a wonderfully dramatic piece to read aloud
That brings me back to 10th grade English class. Thank you!
blessings for this long lament Ulalume Ulalume...remember always thy lost Ulalume.
Absolutely brilliant mastery of word and mind!
Such atmosphere, he can take you there
Love this poem and to read it out loud. If I am not mistaken I believe he wrote it as an elocution exercise. Nice pull from Eduardo Poeski.
I just love the lushness of his language unafraid to go into the dark and on this poem and its rhythm i venture even gleefully as it's not unfamiliar but within my own nature too. Thank you!
Goddam the lambs! What hallucinatory MESMERY!
Love this poem! (I read it as largely anapestic. I'm a meter geek.)