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DEATHOFEDGARA.POE
ByN.P.Willis
Theancientfableoftwoantagonisticspiritsimprisonedinonebody,
equallypowerfulandhavingthecompletemasterybyturns-ofone
man,thatistosay,inhabitedbybothadevilandanangelseems
tohavebeenrealized,ifallwehearistrue,inthecharacterofthe
extraordinarymanwhosenamewehavewrittenabove.Ourown
impressionofthenatureofEdgarA.Poe,differsinsomeimportant
degree,however,fromthatwhichhasbeengenerallyconveyedinthe
noticesofhisdeath.Letus,beforetellingwhatwepersonallyknow
ofhim,copyagraphicandhighlyfinishedportraiture,fromthepen
ofDr.RufusW.Griswold,whichappearedinarecentnumberofthe
“Tribune”:
“EdgarAllenPoeisdead.HediedinBaltimoreonSunday,October
7th.Thisannouncementwillstartlemany,butfewwillbegrieved
byit.Thepoetwasknown,personallyorbyreputation,inallthis
country;hehadreadersinEnglandandinseveralofthestates
ofContinentalEurope;buthehadfewornofriends;andtheregretsfor
hisdeathwillbesuggestedprincipallybytheconsiderationthatinhim
literaryarthaslostoneofitsmostbrilliantbuterraticstars.
“Hisconversationwasattimesalmostsupramortalinitseloquence.
Hisvoicewasmodulatedwithastonishingskill,andhislargeand
variablyexpressiveeyeslookedreposeorshotfierytumultintotheirs
wholistened,whilehisownfaceglowed,orwaschangelessinpallor,
ashisimaginationquickenedhisbloodordrewitbackfrozentohis
heart.Hisimagerywasfromtheworldswhichnomortalscanseebut
withthevisionofgenius.Suddenlystartingfromaproposition,exactly
andsharplydefined,intermsofutmostsimplicityandclearness,
herejectedtheformsofcustomarylogic,andbyacrystallineprocess
ofaccretion,builtuphisoculardemonstrationsinformsofgloomiest
andghastliestgrandeur,orinthoseofthemostairyanddelicious
beauty,sominutelyanddistinctly,yetsorapidly,thattheattention
whichwasyieldedtohimwaschainedtillitstoodamonghis
wonderfulcreations,tillhehimselfdissolvedthespell,andbroughthis
hearersbacktocommonandbaseexistence,byvulgarfancies
orexhibitionsoftheignoblestpassion.
“Hewasatalltimesadreamerdwellinginidealrealmsinheaven
