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To —— —— ——
[[v]]
FOR her these lines are penned, whose luminous eyes,
Brightly expressive as the twins of Lœda,
Shall find her own sweet name, that, nestling lies
[[v]]
Upon the page, enwrapped from every reader.
[[v]]
Search narrowly this rhyme, which holds a treasure
Divine — a talisman — an amulet
That must be worn at heart. Search well the measure —
[[v]]
The words — the letters themselves. 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,
[[v]]
If one could merely understand the plot.
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Enwritten upon this page whereon are peering
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Such eager eyes, there lies, I say, perdu
[[v]]
A well-known name, 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.
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Notes:
None.
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[S:0 - JHW11, 1911] - Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore - Works - A Valentine (ed. J. H. Whitty, 1911)