To Helen by Edgar Allen Poe Analysis Essay - 1727 Words

â€Å"Helen, thy beauty is to me Like those Nicean barks of yore That gently, oer a perfumed sea, The weary, way-worn wanderer bore To his own native shore. On desperate seas long wont to roam, Thy hyacinth hair, thy classic face, Thy Naiad airs have brought me home To the glory that was Greece, And the grandeur that was Rome. Lo, in yon brilliant window-niche How statue-like I see thee stand, The agate lamp within thy hand, Ah! Psyche, from the regions which Are Holy Land!† By Edgar Allan Poe â€Å"To Helen† by Edgar Allan Poe is a poem about a man speaking about the beauty of a woman both in body – with the potential reference to Helen of Troy – and in spirit – comparing her to the quintessential beauty of Psyche. The†¦show more content†¦Also the mention of â€Å"To the glory that was Greece / And the grandeur that was Rome† Is a rather forward implication that all the possible connotation of Greek and Roman mythology in the poem are correct. The line, â€Å"Thy hyacinth hair,† is not only alliteration once again but it may be referring to another Greek myth. The myth is one in which Apollo takes a lover in the form of a stunning boy called Hyacinthus who is tragically slain in his youth. This again is a metaphor of Helens exquisiteness as Hyacinthus was known for his beauty in Greek mythology. However the comparison can yet again be interpreted in two ways as, although Hyacinthus was viewed as beautiful he also died tragically and at a young age. The poem therefore could also be referring to the fact that beauty is a tragedy as well as a gift – which can then be further supported by the fact that the beautiful woman is/being compared to Helen of Troy who singlehandedly caused the Trojan War because she fell in love. It is more plausible however that the poem is simply comparing the beauty of Helen’s hair to that of Apollo’s lover. This can be deduced as most Greek mythology has tragedy weaved throughout it anyway so any reference to beauty would result in some tragedy or another. â€Å"Thy classic face, / Thy Naiad airs have brought me home† This line refers again toShow MoreRelatedCommon Themes of Edgar Allan Poe3152 Words   |  13 PagesAn Analysis of the Common Themes Found in selected works of Edgar Allan Poe A Research Presented to The faculty of the English Department In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements in English IV By March 2010 Acknowledgement The researcher would like to thank the following people who help and give guidance to make this project To the Project adviser and the home room adviser of the researchers, who gave his outmost patience and time to check the drafts and format of eachRead MoreCommon Themes of Edgar Allan Poe3166 Words   |  13 PagesAn Analysis of the Common Themes Found in selected works of Edgar Allan Poe A Research Presented to The faculty of the English Department In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements in English IV By March 2010 Acknowledgement The researcher would like to thank the following people who help and give guidance to make this project To the Project adviser and the home room adviser of the researchers, who gave his outmost patience and time to check the drafts and format of each part of this very