Collected Works of Poe

Ligeia! Ligeia!
My beautiful one,
Whose harshest idea
Will to melody run,
Say, is it thy will,
On the breezes to toss,
Or, capriciously still,
Like the lone albatross,
Incumbent on night,
As she on the air,
To keep watch with delight
On the harmony there?

Book Excerpt

“Explore the mysteries of the human mind; stories of illusion and intrigue like ‘The Premature Burial’ and ‘The System of Dr. Tarr and Professor Fether’; action-packed tales like ‘The Adventure of Arthur Gordon Pym’; this type of incisive criticism and analysis earned Charles Dickens enthusiastic praise, though they also made him many enemies among the overly sensitive American writers who were offended by his brutally honest depictions; the beauty and melody of poems like ‘What a captivating world for readers’ worn-out senses! What splendor, what music, what a vibrant setting! The abundance of creativity, insight, and outstanding artistry! One might almost feel sorry for Sarah Helen Whitman, who in Transpose accepted half of the old belief discovered in a decrypted letter and embraced the hidden meaning of anagrams.