Written in 1847 by Edgar Allan Poe, this poem takes place on a night in the "lonesome October" with a gray sky as the leaves are withering for the autumn season. In the region of Weir, by the lake of Auber, the narrator roams with a "volcanic" heart. He has a "serious and sober" talk with his soul, though he does not realize it is October or where his roaming is leading him. He remarks on the stars as night fades away, remarking on the brightest one, and wonders if it knows that the tears on his cheeks have not yet dried. His soul, however, mistrusts the star and where it is leading them. Just as the narrator calms his soul, he realizes he has unconsciously walked to the vault of his "lost Ulalume" on the very night he had buried her a year before.
Unlike Poe's poem "Annabel Lee", this poem presents a narrator who is not conscious of his return to the grave of his lost love. This reveals the speaker's dependence on Ulalume and her love; his losing her leaves him not only sad but absolutely devastated and, by visiting her grave, he unconsciously subjects himself to further self-inflicted anguish. The poem has a heavy focus on decay and deterioration: the leaves are "withering" and the narrator's thoughts are "palsied". Like many of Poe's later poems, "Ulalume" has a strong sense of rhythm and musicality. The verses are purposefully sonorous, built around sound to create feelings of sadness and anguish. The poem employs Poe's typical theme of the "death of a beautiful woman", which he considered "the most poetical topic in the world". Biographers and critics have often suggested that Poe's obsession with this theme stems from the repeated loss of women throughout his life, including his mother Eliza Poe, his wife, and his foster mother Frances Allan.
The identity of Ulalume in the poem is uncertain. Poe scholar and distant relative Harry Lee Poe says it is autobiographical and shows Poe's grief over the recent death of his wife Virginia. Scholar Scott Peeples notes that "Ulalume" serves as a sequel to "The Raven". Poetically, the name Ulalume emphasizes the letter, a frequent device in Poe's female characters such as "Annabel Lee", "Eulalie", and "Lenore". If it really stands for a deceased love, Poe's choosing to refer to Ulalume as "the thing" and "the secret" do not seem endearing terms. In one possible view, Ulalume may be representative of death itself.
If you want, you can read the poem at https://drunkenpenwriting.com/?s=ulalume
You can also follow us on Twitter @drunkpenwriting
On Facebook at www.facebook.com/drunkenpenwriting
or on Instagram @drunkenpenwriting
A Murakami Minute: FPS On A Stone Pillow
IRC #8: Jerusalem Is Canceled
A Murakami Minute: FPS Cream
#80: Forgotten And Future Classic Books
DBS #43: Books, Writing, And Japanese Fiction
#79: Drinking With Hemingway
DBS #42: Cyberpunk And Porn
#78: Should You Quit Your Job To Write Full-time?
DBS #41: Indie Authors And Story Titles
DBS #40: DPW Is Back!
IRC #7: Jerusalem Part One
#77: Are We Finished?
#76: Terrible Writing Advice You Should Ignore
#75: Writing Talk With Author Benjamin Cross
BOTM #8: Casino Royale
DBS #39: Books, Movies, And Prostitutes
BOTM #7: Slaughterhouse-Five
#74: To BS Or Not To BS?
DBS #38: New Year New Me
#73: The Elements Of Crafting A Good Story
Join Podbean Ads Marketplace and connect with engaged listeners.
Advertise Today
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Lit Society: Books and Drama
Ex Libris
Write The Book: Conversations on Craft
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
The Federalist Papers
Fresh Air
Myths and Legends