To Helen

by Edgar Allan Poe

Selvi Risma Andani

Nur Fitriani

Afifah Mudawwamah

Eka Nur Laili

Helen, thy beauty is to me a

Like those Nicéan barks of yore, b

That gently, o'er a perfumed sea, a

The weary, way-worn wanderer bore b

To his own native shore. b

On desperate seas long wont to roam, c

Thy hyacinth hair, thy classic face, d

Thy Naiad airs have brought me home c

To the glory that was Greece, d

And the grandeur that was Rome. c

Lo! in yon brilliant window-niche e

How statue-like I see thee stand, f

The agate lamp within thy hand! f

Ah, Psyche, from the regions which e

Are Holy-Land! f

Analysis of Poem “To Helen”

• Iambic tetrameter

• Theme: admiring a beautiful woman

• He compared Helen of Troy to Jane

Stanard. In ancient Greek mythology, Helen

was the most beautiful woman in the world

The Meaning Helen, thy beauty is to me

Like those Nicéan barks of yore,

(Nicean means Nicaea, ancient city in Turkey. While, barks mean ship. In this line, Poe compares Helen to ship)

That gently, o'er a perfumed sea,

The weary, way-worn wanderer bore

To his own native shore.

(Poe compares Helen to ship that brings him home after a long suffer wanderer in sea)

On desperate seas long wont to roam,

He implies that he was lost before he met Helen, roaming on the "desperate seas" (or hopelessness) of life. “wont” used to.

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.

The words ‘hyacinth hair and classic face are associated with ancient standard of beauty. He pointed the beauty of Helen to hyacinth, a type of flower that grows in bunches from a single stalk (they come in a variety of colors, including lavender and reddish-orange).

In ancient, Greece and Rome were the most awesome places ever. Both had the best literature, the best ideas, the best architecture. And this Helen reminds the poet of the best that ever was Greece and Rome.

Lo! in yon brilliant window-niche How statue-like I see thee stand, she's also statue-like because she's as beautiful as a work of art—proportionate, perfectly crafted.

The agate lamp within thy hand! Ah, Psyche, from the regions which Are Holy-Land! Psyche is an important figure in Greek mythology. Venus (a.k.a. Aphrodite, goddess of love) got mad at the most beautiful mortal woman in the world and made her (Venus) really upset……….

Biographical Approach • He wrote this poem in honor of Jane Stith Stanard.

Jane had recently died, and, through his writing, Poe sought to thank her for acting as a second mother to him. The Helen of the 1831 poem describes a classic beauty by using Jane Stanard as the inspiration, Poe celebrated the latter woman as one of his earliest loves.

• Poe may have intended the narrator to be a direct reflection of himself, who as a boy felt more welcome in Jane Stanard's house than in other environments.

Tone, Symbol, Imagery Tone : happy, astonishment Symbol Line 1 : Helen, thy beauty is to me based on Greek mythology, “Helen” symbolizes an incredible beauty of a woman Line 4-5 : The weary, way-worn wanderer bore To his own native shore. “the weary, way-worn wanderer." symbolizes misery and persistence Line 6 : On desperate seas long wont to roam "desperate seas” means hardship and despair

line 7 : Thy hyacinth hair, thy classic face, based Greek mythology, "hyacinth" means death and sorrow, as well as loveliness and revival. Line 8: Thy Naiad airs have brought me home "Naiad airs.“ based on Greek mythology, Naiad symbolizes a divine, beautiful, awesome creature. Line 13-15 : The agate lamp within thy hand, Ah! Psyche, from the regions which Are Holy Land! “Cupid and Psyche” symbolizes love between unequal figures (god and human).

IMAGERY Stanza 1

Helen, thy beauty is to me Like those Nicean barks of yore ( visual imagery) That gently, o'er a perfumed sea, The weary, way-worn wanderer bore To his own native shore. Stanza 3 Lo, in yon brilliant window-niche How statue-like I see thee stand, (visual) The agate lamp within thy hand, Ah! Psyche, from the regions which Are Holy Land!

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