Apocryphal, Doubtful and Rejected Poems
Please note that this list is far from complete. As it is impractical to
attempt a complete list of all poems falsely attributed to Poe, any poem
omitted from the Accepted category should be presumed as not by Poe, barring
pursuasive evidence to the contrary. As the arguments for poems on this
page are refined, some may move from Doubtful to Rejected or the other
way around. It is unlikely, however, that any of the items listed here
will be moved to the Accepted category.
Apocryphal or Doubtful Poems
-
Title: "Monody on Doctor Olmstead" (1946?)
First Line: "If this prime ass is with his brother worms..."
Status: Doubtful
Argument: Mabbott gives this as "Apocryhal" in his edition of
the Poems, 1969, pp. 500-501. An examination of the manuscript,
however, reveals several unsettling problems in ascribing the handwriting
to Poe. Chief among these is the repeated use of a large "a" in place of
Poe's typical "A". It also uses the "f" for the intial "s" of "ss," a form
Poe used only occasionally in his youth and which was somewhat archaic
even then. By the 1840s, the date Mabbott attributes to the poem, Poe had
ceased to use this in words, though he continued on to use it from time
to time in inscriptions including the word "Miss" as in "Mifs Elizabeth
Barrett Barrett." The excerpt from "Al Aaraaf" on the same page appears
to be in a completely different hand and bears only a superficial resemblance
to Poe's writing. The origin of the manuscript is sufficiently dubious
to include the possibility of forgery.
-
Title: "The Trumpet Reveillee" (1839?)
First Line: "Hark! Hark! Hark! to the trumpet's merry call..."
Status: Apocryphal
Argument: Mabbott, Poems, 1969, pp.498-499.
-
Title: "To Irene" (1836?)
First Line: "Thou wert along thy harp was mute..."
Status: Apocryphal
Argument: Mabbott, Poems, 1969, p. 497-498
Rejected Poems (alphabetically by title)
Most of these items are noted by T. O. Mabbot in his section of rejected
poems from his edition of Poe's Poems, 1969. Included here are several
poems supposedly passed by Poe from the great beyond to mediums, most notably
Elizabeth Doten.
-
Title: "Annette" (BJ, December 6, 1845)
First Line: "With fairy feet who treads the flowers?..."
Status: Rejected
Argument: Attributed to Poe by J. H. Ingram, who assumed "A.
M. Ide" to be a pen name for Poe. Included by J. A. Harrison (CWP, VII,
p. 235). Mabbott says not by Poe (Mabbott, Poems, p. 509, item 73).
-
Title: "Bowlegged Man, A" (New York Evening Journal, before
Dec. 8, 1930)
First Line: "Yo ho, what manner of man is this . . ."
Status: Rejected
Argument: Mabbott says not by Poe (Mabbott, Poems, p.
514, item 111).
-
Title: "Cradle or Coffin, The" (Poems from the Inner Life by
Lizzie Doten, 1863)
First Line: "The Cradle or Coffin, the robe or the shroud .
. ."
Status: Rejected
Argument: Mabbott says not by Poe (Mabbott, Poems, p.
512, item 96).
-
Title: "Demon of the Doldrums, The" (The Looking Glass, @1892,
reprinted in the Atlanta Daily Graphic)
First Line: "One night I lay a-dreaming . . ."
Status: Rejected
Argument: Mabbott says not by Poe (Mabbott, Poems, pp.
513-514, item 106).
-
Title: "Dream: 'The Angel" (Knickerbocker Magazine, April,
1860)
First Line: "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx . . ."
Status: Rejected
Argument: Mistakenly ascribed as if with Mabbott's authority
in the 1941 Index, which Mabbott later and repeatedly repudiated. Mabbott
says not by Poe (Mabbott, Poems, p. 512, item 92).
-
Title: "Farewell to Earth" (Banner of Light, Jan. 2, 1864)
First Line: "Farewell! Farewell! . . ."
Status: Rejected
Argument: Spirit poem "received" by Elizabeth Doten. Mabbott
says not by Poe (Mabbott, Poems, p. 512, item 98).
-
Title: "Edgar Allan Poe" (Improvisations from the Spirit,
1857)
First Line: "He said: 'How came you hither? . . .'"
Status: Rejected
Argument: Mabbott says not by Poe (Mabbott, Poems, p.
511, item 90).
-
Title: "The Fire Legend -- A Nightmare" (New York Saturday Press,
Nov. 19, 1859 and SLM, July 1863)
First Line: "In the deepest dearth of midnight, while the sad
and solemn swell . . ."
Status: Rejected
Argument: First attributed to Poe, with doubts, by its appearance
the Saturday Press in 1859. In the SLM, it was prefaced as "From
an unpublished MS. of the late Edgar A. Poe, in the possession of Chas.
D. Gardette." J. H. Ingram called it a "tawdry parody." Included by J.
A. Harrison as an imitation on Poe (CWP, VII, p. 238). Mabbott says not
by Poe (Mabbott, Poems, p. 511-512, item 91), referring to Gardette's
pamphlet The Whole Truth in the Question of "The Fire Fiend" (Philadelphia,
1864) in which Gardette admits to the "harmless literary joke.".
-
Title: "Forest Reverie, The" (Broadway Journal, September
27, 1845)
First Line: "'T is said that when the hands of men..."
Status: Rejected
Argument: Attributed to Poe by J. H. Ingram, who assumed "A.
M. Ide" to be a pen name for Poe. Included by J. A. Harrison (CWP, VII,
p. 233). Mabbott says not by Poe (Mabbott, Poems, p. 509, item 71).
-
Title: "Gratitude" (The Symposia, perhaps Jan. 27, 1848 or
1845)
First Line: "As turns the eye . . ."
Status: Rejected
Argument: Included in J. H. Whitty's edition of Poe's Complete
Poems, 1911, p. 144. Signed "E.A.P.", Campbell suggests that the initials
are a typesetting error for the "E.A.B." who wrote at least two other poems
in the pamphlet (Campbell, The Mind of Poe, p. 201). Mabbott says
not by Poe (Mabbott, Poems, p. 510, item 81).
-
Title: "Great Man, The" (undated and unsigned manuscript)
First Line: "The great man lives . . ."
Status: Rejected
Argument: First printed as by Poe by Whitty in Complete Poems,
1911, p. 143. Mabbott says not by Poe (Mabbott, Poems, p. 507, item
51).
-
Title: "Hymn in Honor of Harmodious and Aristogiton" (SLM,
December 1835)
First Line: "Wreathed in myrtle, my sword I'll conceal..."
Status: Rejected
Argument: First attributed to Poe by J. H. Ingram (Complete
Poetical Works of Edgar Allan Poe, 1888, p. 106.) Included by J. A. Harrison
(CWP, p. 250). Campbell says probably not by Poe (Campbell, The Mind
of Poe, p. 193-194). Mabbott also rejects (Mabbott, Poems, 1969,
p. 507, item 50) and says that the poem is by Lucian Minor.
-
Title: "[In a Pocket-Book]" (Baltimore North American, August 11,
1827)
First Line: "My Father's! -- I will bless it yet . . ."
Status: Rejected
Argument: Atributed to Edgar A. Poe by Frances Winwar in The
Haunted Palace, 1959, p. 63. It was actually written by Poe's brother,
Henry (Mabbott, Poems, p. 504, item 30).
-
Title: "Kelah" (The Baltimore Sun, October 7, 1906)
First Line: "In my hermitage, I lingered . . ."
Status: Rejected
Argument: Mabbott says not by Poe (Mabbott, Poems, p.
514, item 109).
-
Title: "Kingdom, The" (Banner of Light, April 4, 1863)
First Line: "Twas the ominous month of October . . ."
Status: Rejected
Argument: Mabbott says not by Poe (Mabbott, Poems, p.
512, item 95).
-
Title: "Leonainie"
First Line: "Leonainie angles named her, and they took the light
. . ."
Status: Rejected
Argument: This poem is by James Whitcomb Riley. As a publicity
hoax, to show that he could create a great poem that would fool the critics,
Riley wrote the poem in the flyleaf of a copy of Ainsworth's Latin Dictionary
and signed it "E. A. P." He also arranged to have it printed in the Indiana
Dispatch for August 2, 1877. Riley himself published it as a song
in 1879 and included it in the collection of his poems Armazindy
(1894). Although Riley had already acknowledged authorship, the poem continued
to crop up as by Poe. In February of 1904, Alfred Wallace printed it as
"An Unpublished Poem by Edgar Allan Poe," noting that it had ". . . all
the best characteristics of Poe's style. . . " (Fortnightly Review,
NS No. 75, pp. 329-332). Corrected in his attribution, Wallace again wrote,
this time rather definsively admitting new knowledge of Riley's claims
but suggesting that Riley may have copied the poem from some other source
("The 'Leonanie Problem' Fortnightly Review, NS No. 75, pp. 706-
711). Mabbott says not by Poe (Mabbott, Poems, pp. 512-513, item
99).
-
Title: "Lilitha, Princess of Ghouls" (Southern Bivouac, April
1886)
First Line: "The night, it was misty, and phantasmagorical .
. ."
Status: Rejected
Argument: Mabbott says not by Poe, dismissing it as "a bad imitation
of 'Ulalume.'" (Mabbott, Poems, p. 513, item 102).
-
Title: "Lines by E. A. S." (@ 1821)
First Line: "What clouds my brow, O, ask me not . . ."
Status: Rejected
Argument: Reprinted by Whitty in Complete Poems, 1911,
p. 170. Mabbott says not by Poe (Mabbott, Poems, p. 504, item 23).
-
Title: "Lines to Lousia" (BJ, xxx 18xx)
First Line: "Flow softly -- gently -- vital stream . . ."
Status: Rejected
Argument: Mabbott says not by Poe (Mabbott, Poems, p.
503, item 1). The poem is from Thomas Skinner Surr's George Barnwell,
1798.
-
Title: "Magician, The" (The Yankee, December 1829)
First Line: "Thou dark, sea-stirring storm..."
Status: Rejected
Argument: Attributed to Poe in 1884 by George Birdley, but refuted
by J. H. Ingram. Included by J. A. Harrison (CWP, VII, p. 255). Mabbott
says not by Poe (Mabbott, Poems, p. 505, item 35).
-
Title: "Mammoth Squash, The" (The Aristidean, October 1845)
First Line: "Green and specked with spots of golden..."
Status: Rejected
Argument: Attributed to Poe by J. H. Whitty and J. A. Harrison.
Campbell says not by Poe (Campbell, The Mind of Poe, p. 194). Mabbott
accepts Poe's attribution from the Broadway Journal (Nov. 29, 1845) of
the poem to Thomas Dunn English (Mabbott, Poems, 1969, p. 509, item
74.)
-
Title: "Murderer, The" (George W. Conklin's Handy Manual,
1887)
First Line: "Ye glittering stars! how fair ye shine tonight
. . ."
Status: Rejected
Argument: Mabbott says not by Poe (Mabbott, Poems, p.
513, item 107).
-
Title: "My Soul" (Corks and Curls 1895)
First Line: "Sailing over seas abysmal . . ."
Status: Rejected
Argument: Mabbott says not by Poe (Mabbott, Poems, p.
514, item 107).
-
Title: "Poets and Poetry of America, The; by Lavante" (1845)
First Line: "Clime of the brave! entire from sea to sea !..."
Status: Rejected
Argument: Campbell says not by Poe (Campbell, The Mind of
Poe, p. 194). Mabbott also rejects (Mabbott, Poems, 1969, p.
510, item 80).
-
Title: "Prophecy of Vala, The" (Poems from the Inner Life by
Lizzie Doten, 1863)
First Line: "I have walked with the Fates and the Furies . .
."
Status: Rejected
Argument: Mabbott says not by Poe (Mabbott, Poems, p.
512, item 94).
-
Title: "Rupert and Madelon" (A Wreath of Wild Flowers from New
England, 1842)
First Line: "Mad. Why hast thou led me here . . ."
Status: Rejected
Argument: A facsimile of the manuscript in Poe's hand was published
in Autograph Leaves of Our Country's Authors in 1864. The poem is by Frances
S. Osgood and was apparently copied out by Poe as part of the text for
a review for the Southern Literary Messenger of August, 1849 (Mabbott,
Poems, p. 507, item 57).
-
Title: "Resurrexi" (Poems from the Inner Life by Lizzie Doten,
1863)
First Line: "From the throne of Life Eternal . . ."
Status: Rejected
Argument: Spirit poem "received" by Elizabeth Doten. Mabbott
says not by Poe (Mabbott, Poems, p. 512, item 97).
-
Title: "Sea of Serenity, The" (San Fransisco Examiner March
12, 1899)
First Line: "From the Mountains of the Moon . . ."
Status: Rejected
Argument: Mabbott says not by Poe (Mabbott, Poems, p.
50x, item xxx).
-
Title: "Sequel to the Raven, A" (1884)
First Line: "Fires within my brain were burning . . ."
Status: Rejected
Argument: Claimed as a poem dictated to R. Allston Lavender,
Jr by Poe's spirit, this item needs no further explanation for rejection.
Ingram collection, item 840. Mabbott says not by Poe (Mabbott, Poems,
p. 513, item 104).
-
Title: "Silence" (London Magazine, Feb. 1823)
First Line: "There is a silence where hath been no sound . .
."
Status: Rejected
Argument: Originally printed over the initial "T" in the London
Magazine, the sonnet was reprinted in Burton's Gentleman's Magazine for
September of 1839 over the initial "P." Mabbott identifies Thomas Hood
as the original author (Mabbott, Poems, p. 504, item 24).
-
Title: "Skeleton Hand, The" (The Yankee, August 1829)
First Line: "Lo! one is on the mountain side..."
Status: Rejected
Argument: Attributed to Poe in 1884 by George Birdley, but refuted
by J. H. Ingram. Included by J. A. Harrison (CWP, VII, p. 252). Mabbott
says not by Poe (Mabbott, Poems, p. 505, item 34).
-
Title: "Spirit Ideal, The" (Mobile Chronicle, March 5, 1882)
First Line: "From the throne of Life Eternal . . ."
Status: Rejected
Argument: Alternate title of "Resurrexi".
-
Title: "Spring" (Southern Literary Messenger, May 1835)
First Line: "To see thy tiny songsters . . ."
Status: Rejected
Argument: Attributed to Poe by Heartman and Canny Bibliography,
p. 251. Mabbott says not by Poe (Mabbott, Poems, p. 506, item 47).
-
Title: "Streets of Baltimore, The" (Poems from the Inner Life
by Lizzie Doten, 1863)
First Line: "Woman weak, and woman mortal . . ."
Status: Rejected
Argument: Mabbott says not by Poe (Mabbott, Poems, p.
512, item 93).
-
Title: "[To Emily Virginia Chapman]" (After 1839)
First Line: "We only part to meet again..."
Status Rejected, with some confidence
Argument This poem is written on a blank page of Poe's two volume
Tales of the Grotesque & Arabesque (1840, but printed by the
end of 1839). Suspicions are first raised by the complete lack of notice
of the poem in a known presentation copy. (Emily Virginia Chapman was Poe's
cousin. The books have already been handled and sold by several rare book
dealers. Not one prior dealer commented on the presence of a handwritten
poem, which would have greatly increased the book's value.) Also suspicious
is the fact that the inscription by Poe, presumed to be authentic, is in
ink while the poem is written faintly in pencil, much more convenient for
forgery than ink. Stylistically, this would be a very bad poem for Poe.
It has been rejected by most Poe scholars. (Dr. Burton Pollin discusses
why he rejects the poem in a letter to the editor, The New York Times,
February 5, 1995.)
-
Title: "To Isadore" (BJ, October 1845)
First Line: "Beneath the vine-clad eaves..."
Status: Rejected
Argument: Attributed to Poe by J. H. Ingram, who assumed "A.
M. Ide" to be a pen name for Poe. Included by J. A. Harrison (CWP, VII,
p. 228). Mabbott says not by Poe (Mabbott, Poems, p. 509, item 72).
-
Title: "To Lucy" (Blackwood's, October 1826)
First Line: "The silver tones of woman's tongue . . ."
Status: Rejected
Argument: Attrributed to Poe in the Southern Literary Messenger
for April 1942 by Diana Pittman. Mabbott says not by Poe (Mabbott, Poems,
p. 504, item 28).
-
Title: "To Sarah" (The Southern Literary Messenger, August
1835)
First Line: "When melancholy and alone . . ."
Status: Rejected
Argument: Originally published over the signature of "Sylvio,"
the poem was falsely attributed to Poe by Whitty in Complete Poems,
1911, p. 142. Mabbott says not by Poe (Mabbott, Poems, p. 506, item
48).
-
Title: "Village Street, The" (BJ, September 13, 1845)
First Line: "In these rapid, restless shadows..."
Status: Rejected
Argument: Attributed to Poe by J. H. Ingram, who assumed "A.
M. Ide" to be a pen name for Poe. Included by J. A. Harrison (CWP, VII,
p. 230). Mabbott says not by Poe (Mabbott, Poems, p. 509, item 70).
-
Title: "Vital Stream, The" (BJ, xxx 18xx)
First Line: "Flow softly -- gently -- vital stream . . ."
Status: Rejected
Argument: Alternate title for "Lines to Louisa"
-
Title: "Wine Ballad, A" (Southern Bivouac, October, 1886)
First Line: "They say these dwellers in palaces of shadow .
. ."
Status: Rejected
Argument: Mabbott says not by Poe (Mabbott, Poems, p.
513, item 103).
-
Title: "Woman's Heart" (The Baltimore Times, June 10, 1832)
First Line: "First take a feather . . ."
Status: Rejected
Argument: Attributed to Poe by M E. Phillips, Poe the Man,
p. 435. Mabbott says not by Poe (Mabbott, Poems, p. 50x, item xxx).
-
Title: "[Untitled]" (Ingram Collection, Item 465)
First Line: "Then the vessel, sinking, lifting . . ."
Status: Rejected
Argument: Sent to Ingram by Amelia F. Poe on August 16, 1912.
Mabbott says not by Poe (Mabbott, Poems, p. 514, item 110).
-
Title: "xxxx" (xxx 18xx)
First Line: "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx . . ."
Status: Rejected
Argument: Mabbott says not by Poe (Mabbott, Poems, p.
50x, item xxx).
-
Title: "xxxx" (xxx 18xx)
First Line: "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx . . ."
Status: Rejected
Argument: Mabbott says not by Poe (Mabbott, Poems, p.
50x, item xxx).
-
Title: "xxxx" (xxx 18xx)
First Line: "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx . . ."
Status: Rejected
Argument: Mabbott says not by Poe (Mabbott, Poems, p.
50x, item xxx).
~~~ End of Text ~~~