Edgar Allan Poe Acrostic

“An Acrostic” by Edgar Allan Poe  Elizabeth it is in vain you say “Love not” — thou sayest it in so sweet a way:  In vain those words from thee or L. E. L.1  Zantippe’s2 talents had enforced so well:  Ah! if that language from thy heart arise,  Breathe it less gently forth — and veil thine eyes.  Endymion3, recollect, when Luna4 tried  To cure his love — was cured of all beside —  His folly — pride — and passion — for he died. 1 L.E.L.: unknown allusion, possibly the poet Letitia Elizabeth Landon 2 Socrates’s wife, known to be very devoted 3 In Greek mythology, a handsome king who ruled mountains 4 The moon; in the myth, she loved Endymion and put a spell on him that he would live forever and never leave her.

Analysis Look at the allusions in the poem. What kind of people or stories do the allusions reference? What does this tell you Poe’s feelings towards the subject of the poem (the person it was written about)? Look at the acrostic form. Who did Poe write the poem about?

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