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Title: THE SLEEPER {{1845-01: : //1849-02: . }}
Rule: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Line-01-001 AT midnight, in the month of June,
Line-01-002 I stand beneath the mystic moon.
Line-01-003 An opiate vapour, dewy, dim,
Line-01-004 Exhales from out her golden rim,
Line-01-005 And, softly dripping, drop by drop,
Line-01-006 Upon the quiet mountain top,
Line-01-007 Steals drowsily and musically
Line-01-008 Into the universal valley.
Line-01-009 The rosemary nods upon the grave;
Line-01-010 The lily lolls upon the wave;
Line-01-011 Wrapping the fog about its breast,
Line-01-012 The ruin moulders into rest;
Line-01-013 Looking like Lethe, see! the lake
Line-01-014 A conscious slumber seems to take,
Line-01-015 And would not, for the world, awake.
Line-01-016 All Beauty sleeps! — and lo! where lies
Line-01-017 {{1845-01: (Her casement open to the skies) }}
Line-01-018 Irene, with her Destinies!
Line-01-019 Oh, lady bright! can it be right —
Line-01-020 This window open to the night?
Line-01-021 The wanton airs, from the tree-top,
Line-01-022 Laughingly through the lattice drop —
Line-01-023 The bodiless airs, a wizard rout,
Line-01-024 Flit through thy chamber in and out, [page 10:]
Line-01-025 And wave the curtain canopy
Line-01-026 So fitfully — so fearfully —
Line-01-027 Above the closed and {{1845-01: fringed //1849-02: fringéd }} lid
Line-01-028 ’Neath which thy slumb’ring soul lies hid,
Line-01-029 That, o’er the floor and down the wall,
Line-01-030 Like ghosts the shadows rise and fall!
Line-01-031 Oh, lady dear, hast thou no fear?
Line-01-032 Why and what art thou dreaming here?
Line-01-033 Sure thou art come o’er far-off seas,
Line-01-034 A wonder to these garden trees!
Line-01-035 Strange is thy pallor! strange thy dress!
Line-01-036 Strange, above all, thy length of tress,
Line-01-037 And this all solemn silentness!
Line-01-038 The lady sleeps! Oh, may her sleep,
Line-01-039 Which is enduring, so be deep!
Line-01-040 Heaven have her in its sacred keep!
Line-01-041 This chamber changed for one more holy,
Line-01-042 This bed for one more melancholy,
Line-01-043 I pray to God that she may lie
Line-01-044 Forever with unopened eye,
Line-01-045 While the {{1845-01: dim //1849-02: pale }} sheeted ghosts go by!
Line-01-046 My love, she sleeps! Oh, may her sleep,
Line-01-047 As it is lasting, so be deep!
Line-01-048 Soft may the worms about her creep!
Line-01-049 Far in the forest, dim and old,
Line-01-050 For her may some tall vault unfold —
Line-01-051 Some vault that oft hath flung its black
Line-01-052 And {{1845-01: winged //1849-02: wingéd }} pannels fluttering back,
Line-01-053 Triumphant, o’er the crested palls,
Line-01-054 Of her grand family funerals —
Line-01-055 Some sepulchre, remote, alone, [page 11:]
Line-01-056 Against whose portal she hath thrown,
Line-01-057 In childhood, many an idle stone —
Line-01-058 Some tomb from out whose sounding door
Line-01-059 She ne’er shall force an echo more,
Line-01-060 Thrilling to think, poor child of sin!
Line-01-061 It was the dead who groaned within.
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[[Alternate presentation giving the text as originally printed, with indications for Poe's changes]]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AT midnight, in the month of June,
I stand beneath the mystic moon.
An opiate vapour, dewy, dim,
Exhales from out her golden rim,
And, softly dripping, drop by drop,
Upon the quiet mountain top,
Steals drowsily and musically
Into the universal valley.
The rosemary nods upon the grave;
The lily lolls upon the wave;
Wrapping the fog about its breast,
The ruin moulders into rest;
Looking like Lethe, see! the lake
A conscious slumber seems to take,
And would not, for the world, awake.
All Beauty sleeps! — and lo! where lies
>>(Her casement open to the skies)<<
Irene, with her Destinies!
Oh, lady bright! can it be right —
This window open to the night?
The wanton airs, from the tree-top,
Laughingly through the lattice drop —
The bodiless airs, a wizard rout,
Flit through thy chamber in and out, [page 10:]
And wave the curtain canopy
So fitfully — so fearfully —
Above the closed and fring>>e<<d lid <é>
’Neath which thy slumb’ring soul lies hid,
That, o’er the floor and down the wall,
Like ghosts the shadows rise and fall!
Oh, lady dear, hast thou no fear?
Why and what art thou dreaming here?
Sure thou art come o’er far-off seas,
A wonder to these garden trees!
Strange is thy pallor! strange thy dress!
Strange, above all, thy length of tress,
And this all solemn silentness!
The lady sleeps! Oh, may her sleep,
Which is enduring, so be deep!
Heaven have her in its sacred keep!
This chamber changed for one more holy,
This bed for one more melancholy,
I pray to God that she may lie
Forever with unopened eye,
While the >>dim<< sheeted ghosts go by! <pale>
My love, she sleeps! Oh, may her sleep,
As it is lasting, so be deep!
Soft may the worms about her creep!
Far in the forest, dim and old,
For her may some tall vault unfold —
Some vault that oft hath flung its black
And winged pannels fluttering back, <é>
Triumphant, o’er the crested palls,
Of her grand family funerals —
Some sepulchre, remote, alone, [page 11:]
Against whose portal she hath thrown,
In childhood, many an idle stone —
Some tomb from out whose sounding door
She ne’er shall force an echo more,
Thrilling to think, poor child of sin!
It was the dead who groaned within.
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Notes:
For an explanation of the formatting used in this Study Text, see editorial policies and methods. This format is very much an experiment, particularly for poetry. For the version with changes applied, see the full poem.
Because Poe's changes here are made in his own copy of The Raven and other Poems, the pagination of that edition has been retained in the present text.
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[S:0 - comparative] - Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore - Works - Poems - The Sleeper (Study Text - RAOP-JLG)