Annabel Lee
This belongs to Sarah.
My tattoo is from the poem Annabel Lee by Edgar Allen Poe. It is on the back of my right shoulder. This section of the poem has always hit me particularly hard emotionally. I've always thought this poem to be absolutely beautiful.
The font is a typewriter font, & "Annabel Lee" is in script.
Nevermore
This is Krisa's tattoo.
I have been a huge fan of Poe for many years and have always wanted to be able to show my love for Poe in a simple and elegant way.
I am often asked about what the tattoo says, with many people then asking "Nevermore, is that a band or something?" to which i get to joyously reply, "no it is a quote from The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe. I like both tattoos and Victorian literature, is that so strange?"
This is Amber's.
My father passed away in 2006 and each year since I have gotten a tattoo on what was his birthday. I have always loved Poe and thought it would make a good memorial since he is missing a lost loved one.
This belongs to K.
This tattoo holds quite a bit of meaning for me, seeing as how "The Raven" was what fueled my passion for writing... which was [and still is] one of the only things that is capable of helping me keep my head in times of major duress. So, naturally, it only seemed fitting that this would be my first tattoo.
This belongs to Maria.
This is Jennifer's.
And the raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting
On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming,
And the lamp-light o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
Shall be lifted - nevermore!
- Excerpt from "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe
dream by day
This is Kristen's tattoo. She says: "Creativity keeps this world alive."
"Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night."
- Edgar Allan Poe
Annabelle Lee
This is Terra's tattoo:
My grandmother, who was also one of my closest friends, recently died. She was named Annabelle Lee after the Edgar Allan Poe poem, although spelled differently. In her memory, this is my new tattoo of the first stanza of the poem, with her name in her own handwriting (I got it from her passport).
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.
- Excerpt from "Annabel Lee" by Edgar Allan Poe. Read the whole poem here.
a stir is in the air
This tattoo belongs to Elizabeth M.
But lo, a stir is in the air!
The wave- there is a movement there!
As if the towers had thrust aside,
In slightly sinking, the dull tide-
As if their tops had feebly given
A void within the filmy Heaven.
The waves have now a redder glow-
The hours are breathing faint and low-
And when, amid no earthly moans,
Down, down that town shall settle hence,
Hell, rising from a thousand thrones,
Shall do it reverence.
- Excerpt from "The City in the Sea" by Edgar Allan Poe
all that we see or seem
This is Minty's tattoo.
All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream.
- Excerpt from A Dream Within A Dream by Edgar Allan Poe
all we live to know is known
This Poe tattoo was submitted by Andrew and comes with an interesting story:
Five years ago I stumbled on this Edgar Allan Poe book printed in 1922. I had no clue how it ended up on my shelf and had never seen it before – which was pretty amazing considering I only owned about 20 books and most of them were crap. According to a signature inside, it belonged to my Grandpa who had died in the '80s and some how ended up in my hands.
The quote tattooed on my arm comes from Tamerlane, one of Poe's earliest poems. The passage is probably my favorite from all his works.
I wouldn't say the poem drastically impacted me, but around the same I made a major shift in how I lived my life and feel Poe's work had some influence.
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