For her this rhyme is penned, whose luminous eyes,
Brightly expressive as the twins of Leda,
Shall find her own sweet name, that nestling lies
Upon the page, enwrapped from every reader.
Search narrowly the lines!- they hold a treasure
Divine- a talisman- an amulet
That must be worn at heart. Search well the measure-
The words- the syllables! Do not forget
The trivialest point, or you may lose your labor
And yet there is in this no Gordian knot
Which one might not undo without a sabre,
If one could merely comprehend the plot.
Enwritten upon the leaf where now are peering
Eyes scintillating soul, there lie perdus
Three eloquent words oft uttered in the hearing
Of poets, by poets- as the name is a poet’s, too,
Its letters, although naturally lying
Like the knight Pinto- Mendez Ferdinando-
Still form a synonym for Truth- Cease trying!
You will not read the riddle, though you do the best you can do.

Analysis, meaning and summary of Edgar Allan Poe's poem A Valentine

5 Comments

  1. BRANDT BELK says:

    it tickles my fancy

  2. Stu padaso says:

    I enjoy this poemetry. It tickles my fancy. Viva romania!

  3. Keith Hernandez says:

    I enjoy this poemetry. It tickles my fancy

  4. Natasha says:

    I really like this poem. I think it is very deep and well written. Poe’s work was mostly about death, beauty, youth, and women. For a college paper, I had to write about Poe and i personally think his work is AMAZING.

  5. Thomas Meaney says:

    The full title of the poem is “A Valentine to —- —- —-.” To whom is it addressed?

    To solve the riddle, take the first letter of the first line, the second letter of the second line, the third letter of the third line, et cetera, and put them all together.

    The result: Frances Sargent Osgood.

    I’m not quite sure I understand the line “It’s letters…still form a synonym for Truth.” Please let me know if you have any theories.

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