"A Valentine" (1850)

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  For her this rhyme is penned, whose luminous eyes,
Brightly expressive as the ,
Shall find her own sweet name, that, nestling lies
Upon the page, enwrapped from every reader.
Search narrowly the lines! -- they hold a treasure
Divine -- a talisman -- an amulet
That must be worn at heart. Search well the measure --
The words -- the syllables! Do not forget
The trivialest point, or you may lose your labor!
And yet there is in this no 
Which one might not undo without a sabre,
If one could merely comprehend the plot.
Enwritten upon the leaf where now are peering
Eyes soul, there lie perdus
Three eloquent words oft uttered in the hearing
Of poets, by poets -- as the name is a poet�s, too.
Its letters, although naturally lying
Like the knight Pinto -- --
Still form a synonym for Truth. -- Cease trying!
You will not read the riddle, though you do the best you can do.







Note:Poe wrote this poem for a specific person. The woman's name is hidden 
within the text. Can you find it? Hint: its an acrostic  

Edgar Allan PoeWhere stories live. Discover now