A Valentine by Edgar Allan Poe

A Valentine

by Edgar Allan Poe

(published 1850)

For her this rhyme is penned, whose luminous eyes,

     Brightly expressive as the twins of Leda,

Shall find her own sweet name, that, nestling lies

     Upon the page, enwrapped from every reader.

Search narrowly the lines! — they hold a treasure

     Divine — a talisman — an amulet

That must be worn at heart. Search well the measure —

     The words — the syllables! 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,

     If one could merely comprehend the plot.

Enwritten upon the leaf where now are peering

     Eyes scintillating soul, there lie perdu,

Three eloquent words 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.

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!

I hope you liked this month’s blog post. The books in my urban fantasy series are available on Amazon. Please let me know your thoughts by liking, commenting, and/or subscribing. Also, you can join my mailing list by clicking here.

Buy on Amazon HERE!

Image by Karen Warfel from Pixabay 


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