To Helen
To Helen - context Summary
Published 1831; Inspired by Helen
Written early in Poe's career and published in 1831, "To Helen" idealizes a female figure as a civilizing, salvific presence. The speaker compares her to ancient ships and classical icons, saying her beauty and qualities bring him from weary wandering to a restored sense of home and cultural grandeur. Classical references (Greece, Rome, Psyche) frame the beloved as both muse and spiritual guide rather than a detailed personal portrait.
Read Complete AnalysesHelen, thy beauty is to me Like those Nicean barks of yore, That gently, o’er a perfumed sea, The weary, wayworn 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!
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