Edgar Allan Poe's Deathday Oct. 7

**DuneLaker** · 10-04-2008, 08:05 AM

Tuesday, Oct. 7, is Edgar Allan Poe's birthday. He wrote a poem for Octavia Walton Le Vert, the daughter of our county's namesake, George Walton, Jr.. I think I'll go to the Old Florida Fish House after 6:30 p.m. Have some sushi, etc. Be prepared to recite your favorite Poe poem or quote. Thought this would be a good start to Halloween festivities for the month of October. His favorite drink was Absinthe. I don't know if anyone serves that around here. You do need a special glass and absinthe spoon.

**Danny Burns** · 10-04-2008, 02:18 PM

My telltale heart still adores Poe's work.

**Aggie** · 10-04-2008, 03:59 PM

Sounds like fun .. and plan on being there!

**SHELLY** · 10-05-2008, 12:23 PM

Very interesting--Poe is one of my very favorite writers.

My High School English teacher made us suffer through an entire semester of Poe. I didn't "get it" until many years later. I have my doubts that in today's text-message world, we'll ever produce a poet who possesses Poe's command of the English language and ability to paint vivid pictures in words.

When wit, and wine, and friends have met
And laughter crowns the festive hour
In vain I struggle to forget
Still does my heart confess thy power
And fondly turn to thee!

But Octavia, do not strive to rob
My heart of all that soothes its pain
The mournful hope that every throb
Will make it break for thee!

**DuneLaker** · 10-06-2008, 05:27 PM

Shelly, You get an A+ for posting "Octavia" that Poe wrote for her when she was 16 and he was 18. It is missing in many so called complete works of Poe. Both Octavia's and Edgar's grandparents fought in America's battle for independence. The orphaned Poe's grandparents had given quite a large sum of money to LaFayette. George Washington, George Walton (Octavia's grandfather) and LaFayette remained good friends throughout their lives. This connection probably allowed young Edgar to have an introduction to Octavia, a budding star and belle of her time. Poe would later die in 1849 from excessive campaign celebrations. That same year Octavia lost her beloved brother Robert and two of her children to scarlet fever. (SF/BR) Hope you can come toast a glass to Poe on his deathday Oct. 7 and enjoy his connection to Walton County.

DD · 10-06-2008, 05:59 PM

Originally Posted by DuneLaker

Shelly, You get an A+ for posting "Octavia" that Poe wrote for her when she was 16 and he was 18. It is missing in many so called complete works of Poe. Both Octavia's and Edgar's grandparents fought in America's battle for independence. The orphaned Poe's grandparents had given quite a large sum of money to LaFayette. George Washington, George Walton (Octavia's grandfather) and LaFayette remained good friends throughout their lives. This connection probably allowed young Edgar to have an introduction to Octavia, a budding star and belle of her time. Poe would later die in 1849 from excessive campaign celebrations. That same year Octavia lost her beloved brother Robert and two of her children to scarlet fever. (SF/BR) Hope you can come toast a glass to Poe on his birthday Oct. 7 and enjoy his connection to Walton County.

Wow. Who knew? Interesting.

**DuneLaker** · 10-06-2008, 06:25 PM

Hi DD. Don't know about Poe's connection to Texas, but there must be some. Octavia was good friends with the second governor of Texas, General Mirabeau Lamar. Lamar was a frequent guest at Octavia's house where he met Richard Henry Wilde (author of "My Life is Like the Summer Rose") in Octavia's drawing room. Lamar was also a poet.

DD · 10-06-2008, 06:28 PM

Originally Posted by DuneLaker

Hi DD. Don't know about Poe's connection to Texas, but there must be some. Octavia was good friends with the second governor of Texas, General Mirabeau Lamar. Lamar was a frequent guest at Octavia's house where he met Richard Henry Wilde (author of "My Life is Like the Summer Rose") in Octavia's drawing room.

Hey DL. So how do you know all this stuff? Did you write a paper on the guy or what?

Seriously, I love stuff like this.....little known facts about peeps.

**Minnie** · 10-06-2008, 06:51 PM

Very interesting about Octavia. Have a great time at the Fish House.

Here is my favorite Poe work

Annabel Lee

It was many and many a year ago,
In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of ANNABEL LEE;
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
Than to love and be loved by me.

I was a child and she was a child,
In this kingdom by the sea;
But we loved with a love that was more than love-
I and my Annabel Lee;
With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven
Coveted her and me.

And this was the reason that, long ago,
In this kingdom by the sea,
A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling
My beautiful Annabel Lee;
So that her highborn kinsman came
And bore her away from me,
To shut her up in a sepulchre
In this kingdom by the sea.

The angels, not half so happy in heaven,
Went envying her and me-
Yes!- that was the reason (as all men know,
In this kingdom by the sea)
That the wind came out of the cloud by night,
Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.

But our love it was stronger by far than the love
Of those who were older than we-
Of many far wiser than we-
And neither the angels in heaven above,
Nor the demons down under the sea,
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee.

For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And the stars never rise but I feel the bright eyes
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
Of my darling- my darling- my life and my bride,
In the sepulchre there by the sea,
In her tomb by the sounding sea.

**jensieblue** · 10-06-2008, 06:57 PM

If you ever have a chance try to go to the University of Virginia. They have Poe's room preserved as it was when he was a student there.

**DuneLaker** · 10-06-2008, 07:12 PM

Originally Posted by DD

Hey DL. So how do you know all this stuff? Did you write a paper on the guy or what?

Seriously, I love stuff like this.....little known facts about peeps.

I can't give you all the secrets here. My great uncle once owned one of the houses Octavia lived in. Her house in Mobile was certainly haunted. Happy Halloween!!!

**DuneLaker** · 10-06-2008, 07:28 PM

Originally Posted by analogman

My telltale heart still adores Poe's work.

And it should ...

TRUE! -- NERVOUS -- VERY, VERY DREADFULLY NERVOUS I HAD BEEN AND am; but why will you say that I am mad? The disease had sharpened my senses -- not destroyed -- not dulled them. Above all was the sense of hearing acute. I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell. How, then, am I mad? Harken! and observe how healthily -- how calmly I can tell you the whole story. (Poe -- The Tell-Tale Heart)

DD · 10-06-2008, 08:13 PM

Originally Posted by DuneLaker

I can't give you all the secrets here. My great uncle once owned one of the houses Octavia lived in. Her house in Mobile was certainly haunted. Happy Halloween!!!

**Minnie** · 10-06-2008, 09:33 PM

Originally Posted by DuneLaker

I can't give you all the secrets here. My great uncle once owned one of the houses Octavia lived in. Her house in Mobile was certainly haunted. Happy Halloween!!!

And the story becomes even more interesting, love a Haunted House.

**SHELLY** · 10-06-2008, 10:44 PM

Originally Posted by DuneLaker

Hope you can come toast a glass to Poe on his birthday Oct. 7 and enjoy his connection to Walton County.

Poe's birthday is January 19th...you're celebrating his "Death-day."

.

**DuneLaker** · 10-07-2008, 06:22 AM

You are so right. Another A+ for you Shelly. Another reason that it fits the Halloween season so well. This "Death Date" is more a reminder of Poe and much of his writing. Maybe for Poe it was a "birth" date. I've enjoyed reading his work the last few days. I'll write bigger on next year's calendar! (Maybe I won't be so busy next year that I'll note it correctly! I may even try to change post title when I figure out how. No time now.)