Literal meaning sentence for sentence:
One night while I was thinking to myself, I heard a tapping on my bedroom door. I said, “There is a visitor knocking on my door and nothing more than this.” I remember that it was December and there was a dwindling fire. I wished for tomorrow and I vainly had sorrow for the loss of Lenore, who has no name anymore. I was filled with terror and to the beat of my heart I kept repeating “There is a visitor at my door and nothing more than this.” I said, sir or ma’am I am sorry but I was about to nap when you started knocking, but when I opened the door, I saw absolutely nothing. In the darkness there was nothing. Complete silence until I whispered saying “Lenore” and an echo I heard and nothing more. I returned into my chamber with my soul burning and I heard an even louder knocking than before. Surly this sound is something at my window so I shall look and I said “This must just be the wind.” I opened the window and entered a raven flapping its wings. He continued to move about until he perched upon my chamber door, sitting there perched and nothing more. I asked the nightly raven what his name is and he said, “Nevermore.” The raven only spoke that one word. He said nothing and did not move until I muttered that he would leave in the morning and the bird said, “Nevermore.” Startled by this I thought that it was the usually and normal for this to happen with this particular bird. I went to my chair and started to think of what it meant that this bird said “Nevermore.” I sat guessing but could not think of a reason for this happening and then I thought that this would pass. Then the air grew dense with the smell of perfume but no one else was there. God has sent these angels to me over my memories of my lost Lenore. With this the bird said, “Nevermore.” I said, “Tell me whether bird or devil, is there balm in Gilead?” With this the bird said, “Nevermore.” I said, “Tell me if Aidenn has the one that the angels name Lenore.” With this the bird said, “Nevermore.” I yelled, “Leave my chambers, raven. Take your beak out of my heart and leave me to my loneliness.” With this the raven said, “Nevermore.” That bird is still perched above my bedroom door with eyes like a demon dreaming and it shall be moved nevermore.
Poetic devices used:
Throughout this poem there are many poetic devices used. One of the major ones used is alliteration. Within the first few stanzas of the poem there are already quite a few examples of this. One is in the first line with the words: while, weak, and weary. Another example is with the words: nodded, nearly, and napping. Throughout the poem there is use of end rhymes as well as internal rhyme. In the first stanza dreary and weary rhyme within the line, but in later lines of the stanza, door is rhymed with more. One of the most important poetic devices used in this poem is the repetition. The raven continually saying "Nevermore" is a huge part of the figurative meaning of the poem overall. Along with this, another device used is personification of giving the raven the ability to talk, though it may only be the one word it speaks.
Figurative meaning:
On a deeper level, this poem is all about the loss of the characters live, Lenore. On this one particular night, the man is sitting in his chambers thinking about her. When he lets the bird in, it is clear that it is not a regular bird. Oftentimes a raven represents the devil and this seems to be the case. As the man speaks of his lamenting for Lenore the bird continues to look at him and say, "Nevermore." The man asks many questions about if he will ever be with his love again, even in heaven, but the bird only says nevermore all of his questions that arise with his lamenting for Lenore. I think that the final lines describing how the bird is still there show the point that what the bird had said would hold true, and the man would never be with his love, Lenore.
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