To My Mother
Because I feel that, in the Heavens above,
The angels, whispering to one another,
Can find, among their burning terms of love,
None so devotional as that of “Mother,”
Therefore by that dear name I long have called you—
You who are more than mother unto me,
And fill my heart of hearts, where Death installed you
In setting my Virginia's spirit free.
My mother—my own mother, who died early,
Was but the mother of myself; but you
Are mother to the one I loved so dearly,
And thus are dearer than the mother I knew
By that infinity with which my wife
Was dearer to my soul than its soul-life.
Enjoy the poem with beautiful music.
Poem Video👇
https://youtu.be/CT0Ow4mX0rc
Who wrote the poem "To My Mother"?
Edgar
Allan Poe (January
19, 1809 – October 7, 1849)
Edgar
Allan Poe was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. He is best
known for his poetry as a central figure of Romanticism in the US and short
stories as an important contributor in such emerging genres as mystery, detective
fiction, and science fiction. He was also the first well-known professional
writer, unfortunately resulting in a financially difficult career. Poe was born
in Boston, Massachusetts in 1809, but his father abandoned the family in 1810,
and his mother died the following year. He was raised as a foster child by John
and Francis Allan in Virginia. His academic excellence was marred by his bad
habits, and he had to leave the University of Virginia when his foster father
refused to pay his gambling debts. In 1827, Poe joined the US Army and
published his first collection of poems. Later he quit his military career, changed
his focus to prose, and became editors of literary journals. In 1836, he
married his 13-year-old cousin, Virginia Clemm. After she died of tuberculosis
in 1847, Poe’s depression and alcoholism got worse. Although he died in 1849 at
age 40, the cause of his death is unknown and still controversial among
disease, alcoholism, substance abuse, suicide, and others.
"To My Mother" explanation
The
poem was published in July of 1849 right before Poe’s death. It is a devotional
sonnet in which the poet expresses his feelings for his wife, Virginia and her
mother. The poem begins with the speaker emphasizing the importance of the term
“mother.” The speaker then says the mother of his wife is more important to him
than his own biological mother, who died early. He feels so because his love
for the mother of his wife comes from the infinity of the love he feels for his
wife, Virginia. Through the love for Virginia’s mother, the poet expresses his
infinite love for the late wife.
