Text: Edgar Allan Poe, “Fairyland” (Study Text)

 

[page 69:]

 

Seq: 9.

 

Title: FAIRYLAND.

 

Line-01-001  Dim vales — and shadowy floods —

Line-01-002 [[indent]] And cloudy-looking woods,

Line-01-003 [[indent]] Whose forms we can’t discover

Line-01-004 [[indent]] For the tears that drip all over.

Line-01-005 [[indent]] Huge moons there wax and wane —

Line-01-006 [[indent]] Again — again — again —

Line-01-007 [[indent]] Ev’ry moment of the night —

Line-01-008 [[indent]] For ever changing places —

Line-01-009 [[indent]] And they put out the star-light

Line-01-010 [[indent]] With the breath from their pale faces; [page 70:]

Line-01-011 [[indent]] About twelve by the moon-dial

Line-01-012 [[indent]] One, more filmy than the rest

Line-01-013 [A {{1829-01: sort //1845-02: kind }} which, upon trial,

Line-01-014 [[indent]] They have found to be the best]

Line-01-015 [[indent]] Comes down — still down — and down

Line-01-016 [[indent]] With its centre on the crown

Line-01-017 [[indent]] Of a mountain's eminence,

Line-01-018 [[indent]] While its wide circumference

Line-01-019 [[indent]] In easy drapery falls

Line-01-020 [[indent]] Over hamlets, and rich halls,

Line-01-021 [[indent]] Wherever they may be —

Line-01-022 [[indent]] O’er the strange woods — o’er the sea —

Line-01-023 [[indent]] Over spirits on the wing

Line-01-024 [[indent]] Over every drowsy thing —

Line-01-025 [[indent]] And buries them up quite

Line-01-026 [[indent]] In a labyrinth of light —

Line-01-027 [[indent]] And then, how deep! O! deep!

Line-01-028 [[indent]] Is the passion of their sleep!

Line-01-029 [[indent]] In the morning they arise,

Line-01-030 [[indent]] And their moony covering

Line-01-031 [[indent]] Is soaring in the skies,

Line-01-032 [[indent]] With the tempests as they toss, [page 71:]

Line-01-035 [[indent]] They use that moon no more

Line-01-036 [[indent]] For the same end as before —

Line-01-037 [[indent]] Videlicet a tent —

Line-01-038 [[indent]] Which I think extravagant:

Line-01-039 [[indent]] Its atomies, however,

Line-01-040 [[indent]] Into a shower dissever,

Line-01-041 [[indent]] Of which those butterflies,

Line-01-042 [[indent]] Of Earth, who seek the skies,

Line-01-043 [[indent]] And so come down again,

Line-01-045 [[indent]] Have brought a specimen

Line-01-046 [[indent]] Upon their quivering wings.

[[Footnotes]]