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Questions on "To Helen"
1. Although the poem is about a real person, is lines written in passionate boyhood to the first purely and ideal woman in his soul, Poe addressed it to Helen, why might he nza 2
All the art and literature originated from one thing---beauty. Having taken Helen as the embodiment of beauty, the poet was confident that once he saw Helen, he was sure to be led by Helen to the home of beauty---fine and pure literature. Poe insisted that Greece and Rome are the homes of beauty, the treasure houses of fine art and literature.
船行在飘香的海上，悠悠 地 把已倦于漂泊的困乏船员 送回他故乡的海岸。
早已习惯于在怒海上飘荡， 你典雅的脸庞，你的鬈发，
你水神般的风姿带我返航， 返回那往时的希腊和罗马， 返回那往时的壮丽和辉煌。
看哪！壁龛似的明亮窗户里， 我看见你站着，多像尊雕像， 一盏玛瑙的灯你拿在手上！ 塞姬女神哪，神圣的土地, 才是你家乡！
Poe’s Theories on Poetry
His poetry express the same deep hopelessness and rejection of the world as his prose, but in a different way. Expressed in his works
4. The creation of work of art requires the utmost concentration and unity, as well as the most scrupulous use of words.
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To Helen 致海伦
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海伦，你的美在我的眼里， 有如往日尼西亚的三桅船
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Stanza 3
The speaker sees Helen standing in the bright niche and holding in her hand an agate lamp. She is quite similar to goddess Psyche from Greek Myth. Through his description of his passion to Helen, Poe expressed his pursuit and sincere devotion to beauty.
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To Helen
Stanza 1 The poet first mentioned Helen, the most famous
beauty in Great mythology. Then Poe compared himself to Odysseus, who wandered for ten years over the sea to get home. As Odysseus, Edgar Allan Poe was persistent in his chasing after fine arts with the sincere belief that art, or beauty and truth, is the ultimate aim, the home, for the wandering poet; while Helen, the embodiment of ancient beauty, is the guider to that dreamland.
In the poem, three beauties in ancient Greek mythology—Helen, Naiad and Psyche---are mentioned just to show that beauty is something that existed; it is very holy but it is hard to reach.
3. He stresses rhythm, opposed to “the heresy of the didactic” and called for “Pure poetry”, defined true poetry as “the rhythmical creation of beauty” . The artistry of poetry lies not in what is being said but in the way it is said.
“The Philosophy of Composition”,《写作的哲学》 “The Poetic principle”《诗歌原理》 1. He avoids the intrusion of ugliness and tries to create a
vision of beauty and a melodious sound. The chief aim is beauty.
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2. The function of poetry is not to summarize and interpret earthly experience, but to create a mood in which the soul soars toward supernal beauty. The basic tone is melancholy.