Alone ~ Edgar Allan Poe's Poem

 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2023: Week 15 (SOLITUDE)

April is National Poetry Month.

What better way to celebrate than to share this:

"In Alone, Poe reflects upon a life experienced as an emotional outsider.

The narrator’s experience of perceiving life and emotions differently to
others in Edgar Allen Poe's Alone, has led to him feeling isolated and here
he is questioning why he sees things so differently. The beauty and irony of
Alone's major theme - that of feeling isolated, different, misunderstood -
is one that many people can relate to, the very act of expressing these feelings through poetry connects the writer with others who feel the same." 1

Edgar Allan Poe wrote the poem ALONE in 1829, but it wasn't published until 1875 when it was found after his death.

Alone

From childhood’s hour I have not been
As others were—I have not seen
As others saw—I could not bring
My passions from a common spring—
From the same source I have not taken
My sorrow—I could not awaken
My heart to joy at the same tone—
And all I lov’d—I lov’d alone—
Then—in my childhood—in the dawn
Of a most stormy life—was drawn
From ev’ry depth of good and ill
The mystery which binds me still—
From the torrent, or the fountain—
From the red cliff of the mountain—
From the sun that ’round me roll’d
In its autumn tint of gold—
From the lightning in the sky
As it pass’d me flying by—
From the thunder, and the storm—
And the cloud that took the form
(When the rest of Heaven was blue)
Of a demon in my view— 2

When I think of solitude I think of being alone in a positive way. This poem identifies that feeling of loneliness in being alone. 

Edgar was one of 3 children born to his parents, David & Elizabeth (nee Arnold) Poe. 

Elizabeth was the granddaughter of the infamous Benedict Arnold who I will have to write about another time.

The children were Henry (born 1807), Edgar (born 1809), and Rosalie (born 1810). Sometime in 1810 (before Rosalie's birth) David left the family. In 1811 his mother, Elizabeth, died  of Tuberculosis. The three children were placed in 3 different homes. 

When reading Edgar Allan Poe's work through a trauma lens it's not hard to see the early loss impact on his story telling. 

As an adult the losses in his life continued.

At the age of 40 he died leaving a mystery behind. 

I work in a public library, and have always been intrigued by the writing, life, and death of Edgar Allan Poe. 

What I didn't know is he and I are related.

Edgar Allan Poe is my X2 great grandfather's 9th cousin - making him my 9th cousin X4 removed. 

These are our shared Great Grandparents (his 8th and my 12th):

John Webster

BIRTH 14 AUG 1535 • Cossington, Leicestershire, England

DEATH 11 OCT 1594 • Cossington, Leicestershire, England
and

Alice Olven

BIRTH 1544 • Cossington, Leicestershire, England

DEATH 11 OCT 1594 • Cossington, Leicester, England

The line runs through our maternal grandmothers' paternal lines.

Finding life's meaning in the published works of your distant relatives!!! 

This is why I search - 

Cause ... 

You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!

***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***

Footnotes:

1  FEATURED POEM: ALONE – EDGAR ALLEN POE. The Reader. Originally published April 24th 2018.  Retrieved March 13th 2023 from
https://www.thereader.org.uk/featured-poem-alone-edgar-allen-poe/#:~:text=In%20Alone%2C%20Poe%20reflects%20upon,he%20sees%20things%20so%20differently.

2  Poe, Edgar Allan. Alone.  Poem. Original source: Source: American Poetry: The Nineteenth Century (1993). Retrieved March 13th 2023 from
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46477/alone-56d2265f2667d

Sources:

Edgar Allan Poe. The Poe Museum. Retrieved March 13th 2023 from
https://poemuseum.org/

Photos:

Edgar Allan Poe. Derived from File: Edgar Allan Poe, circa 1849, restored.jpg; originally from http://www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artObjectDetails?artobj=39406
Retrieved March 13th 2023 from
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Edgar_Allan_Poe,_circa_1849,_restored,_squared_off.jpg

Links:

Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks/

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