“Formuchimaginaryworkwasthere；
Conceitdeceitful，socompact，sokind，ThatforAchilles’imagestoodhisspearGraspedinanarmedhand；himselfbehindWasleftunseen，savetotheeyeofmind。”
Besidesthemeritofconception，Mr。Poe’swritingshavealsothatofform。
Hisstyleishighlyfinished，gracefulandtrulyclassical。Itwouldbehardtofindalivingauthorwhohaddisplayedsuchvariedpowers。
Asanexampleofhisstylewewouldrefertooneofhistales，“TheHouseofUsher。”inthefirstvolumeofhis“TalesoftheGrotesqueandArabesque。”Ithasasingularcharmforus，andwethinkthatnoonecouldreaditwithoutbeingstronglymovedbyitssereneandsombrebeauty。Haditsauthorwrittennothingelse，itwouldalonehavebeenenoughtostamphimasamanofgenius，andthemasterofaclassicstyle。Inthistaleoccurs，perhaps，themostbeautifulofhispoems。
Thegreatmastersofimaginationhaveseldomresortedtothevagueandtheunrealassourcesofeffect。Theyhavenotuseddreadandhorroralone，butonlyincombinationwithotherqualities，asmeansofsubjugatingthefanciesoftheirreaders。Theloftiestmusehaseverahouseholdandfiresidecharmabouther。Mr。Poe’ssecretliesmainlyintheskillwithwhichliehasemployedthestrangefascinationofmysteryandterror。Inthishissuccessissogreatandstrikingastodeservethenameofart，notartifice。Wecannotcallhismaterialsthenoblestorpurest，butwemustconcedetohimthehighestmeritofconstruction。
Asacritic，Mr。Poewasaestheticallydeficient。Unerringinhisanalysisofdictions，metresandplots，heseemedwantinginthefacultyofperceivingtheprofounderethicsofart。Hiscriticismsare，however，distinguishedforscientificprecisionandcoherenceoflogic。Theyhavetheexactness，andatthesametime，thecoldnessofmathematicaldemonstrations。Yettheystandinstrikinglyrefreshingcontrastwiththevaguegeneralismsandsharppersonalitiesoftheday。Ifdeficientinwarmth，theyarealsowithouttheheatofpartisanship。Theyareespeciallyvaluableasillustratingthegreattruth，toogenerallyoverlooked，thatanalyticpowerisasubordinatequalityofthecritic。
Onthewhole，itmaybeconsideredcertainthatMr。Poehasattainedanindividualeminenceinourliteraturewhichhewillkeep。Hehasgivenproofofpowerandoriginality。Hehasdonethatwhichcouldonlybedoneoncewithsuccessorsafety，andtheimitationorrepetitionofwhichwouldproduceweariness。
THEancientfableoftwoantagonisticspiritsimprisonedinonebody，equallypowerfulandhavingthecompletemasterybyturns-ofoneman，thatistosay，inhabitedbybothadevilandanangelseemstohavebeenrealized，ifallwehearistrue，inthecharacteroftheextraordinarymanwhosenamewehavewrittenabove。OurownimpressionofthenatureofEdgarA。Poe，differsinsomeimportantdegree，however，fromthatwhichhasbeengenerallyconveyedinthenoticesofhisdeath。Letus，beforetellingwhatwepersonallyknowofhim，copyagraphicandhighlyfinishedportraiture，fromthepenofDr。RufusW。Griswold，whichappearedinarecentnumberofthe“Tribune：“{*1}
“EdgarAllenPoeisdead。HediedinBaltimoreonSunday，October7th。Thisannouncementwillstartlemany，butfewwillbegrievedbyit。Thepoetwasknown，personallyorbyreputation，inallthiscountry；hebadreadersinEnglandandinseveralofthestatesofContinentalEurope；buthehadfewornofriends；andtheregretsforhisdeathwillbesuggestedprincipallybytheconsiderationthatinhimliteraryarthaslostoneofitsmostbrilliantbuterraticstars。
“Hisconversationwasattimesalmostsupramortalinitseloquence。
Hisvoicewasmodulatedwithastonishingskill，andhislargeandvariablyexpressiveeyeslookedreposeorshotfierytumultintotheirswholistened，whilehisownfaceglowed，orwaschangelessinpallor，ashisimaginationquickenedhisbloodordrewitbackfrozentohisheart。Hisimagerywasfromtheworldswhichnomortalscanseebutwiththevisionofgenius。Suddenlystartingfromaproposition，exactlyandsharplydefined，intermsofutmostsimplicityandclearness，herejectedtheformsofcustomarylogic，andbyacrystallineprocessofaccretion，builtuphisoculardemonstrationsinformsofgloomiestandghastliestgrandeur，orinthoseofthemostairyanddeliciousbeauty，sominutelyanddistinctly，yetsorapidly，thattheattentionwhichwasyieldedtohimwaschainedtillitstoodamonghiswonderfulcreations，tillhehimselfdissolvedthespell，andbroughthishearersbacktocommonandbaseexistence，byvulgarfanciesorexhibitionsoftheignoblestpassion。
“Hewasatalltimesadreamer-dwellinginidealrealms-inheavenorhell-peopledwiththecreaturesandtheaccidentsofhisbrain。Hewalked-thestreets，inmadnessormelancholy，withlipsmovinginindistinctcurses，orwitheyesupturnedinpassionateprayerneverforhimself，forhefelt，orprofessedtofeel，thathewasalreadydamned，butfortheirhappinesswhoatthemomentwereobjectsofhisidolatry；orwithhisglancesintrovertedtoaheartgnawedwithanguish，andwithafaceshroudedingloom，hewouldbravethewildeststorms，andallnight，withdrenchedgarmentsandarmsbeatingthewindsandrains，wouldspeakasifthespiritsthatatsuchtimesonlycouldbeevokedbyhimfromtheAidenn，closebywhoseportalshisdisturbedsoulsoughttoforgettheillstowhichhisconstitutionsubjectedhim-closebytheAidennwherewerethoseheloved-theAidennwhichhemightneversee，butinfitfulglimpses，asitsgatesopenedtoreceivethelessfieryandmorehappynatureswhosedestinytosindidnotinvolvethedoomofdeath。
“Heseemed，exceptwhensomefitfulpursuitsubjugatedhiswillandengrossedhisfaculties，alwaystobearthememoryofsomecontrollingsorrow。Theremarkablepoemof’TheRaven’wasprobablymuchmorenearlythanhasbeensupposed，evenbythosewhowereveryintimatewithhim，areflectionandanechoofhisownhistory。_He_wasthatbird’s“’unhappymasterwhomunmercifulDisasterFollowedfastandfollowedfastertillhissongsoneburdenbore
TillthedirgesofhisHopethatmelancholyburdenboreOf’Never-nevermore。’
“Everygenuineauthorinagreaterorlessdegreeleavesinhisworks，whatevertheirdesign，tracesofhispersonalcharacter：
elementsofhisimmortalbeing，inwhichtheindividualsurvivestheperson。Whilewereadthepagesofthe’FalloftheHouseofUsher，’
orof’MesmericRevelations，’weseeinthesolemnandstatelygloomwhichinvestsone，andinthesubtlemetaphysicalanalysisofboth，indicationsoftheidiosyncrasiesofwhatwasmostremarkableandpeculiarintheauthor’sintellectualnature。Butweseehereonlythebetterphasesofhisnature，onlythesymbolsofhisjusteraction，forhisharshexperiencehaddeprivedhimofallfaithinmanorwoman。Hehadmadeuphisminduponthenumberlesscomplexitiesofthesocialworld，andthewholesystemwithhimwasanimposture。
Thisconvictiongaveadirectiontohisshrewdandnaturallyunamiablecharacter。Still，thoughheregardedsocietyascomposedaltogetherofvillains，thesharpnessofhisintellectwasnotofthatkindwhichenabledhimtocopewithvillany，whileitcontinuallycausedhimbyovershotstofailofthesuccessofhonesty。HewasinmanyrespectslikeFrancisVivianinBulwer’snovelof’TheCaxtons。’Passion，inhim，comprehended-manyoftheworstemotionswhichmilitateagainsthumanhappiness。Youcouldnotcontradicthim，butyouraisedquickcholer；youcouldnotspeakofwealth，buthischeekpaledwithgnawingenvy。Theastonishingnaturaladvantagesofthispoorboyhisbeauty，hisreadiness，thedaringspiritthatbreathedaroundhimlikeafieryatmospherehadraisedhisconstitutionalself-confidenceintoanarrogancethatturnedhisveryclaimstoadmirationintoprejudicesagainsthim。
Irascible，enviousbadenough，butnottheworst，forthesesalientangleswereallvarnishedoverwithacold，repellantcynicism，hispassionsventedthemselvesinsneers。Thereseemedtohimnomoralsusceptibility；and，whatwasmoreremarkableinaproudnature，littleornothingofthetruepointofhonor。Hehad，toamorbidexcess，that，desiretorisewhichisvulgarlycalledambition，butnowishfortheesteemortheloveofhisspecies；onlythehardwishtosucceed-notshine，notserve-succeed，thathemighthavetherighttodespiseaworldwhichgalledhisself-conceit。
“Wehavesuggestedtheinfluenceofhisaimsandvicissitudesuponhisliterature。Itwasmoreconspicuousinhislaterthaninhisearlierwritings。Nearlyallthathewroteinthelasttwoorthreeyears-includingmuchofhisbestpoetry-wasinsomesensebiographical；indraperiesofhisimagination，thosewhohadtakenthetroubletotracehissteps，couldperceive，butslightlyconcealed，thefigureofhimself。”
Aproposofthedisparagingportionoftheabovewell-writtensketch，letustruthfullysay：
Somefourorfiveyearssince，wheneditingadailypaperinthiscity，Mr。Poewasemployedbyus，forseveralmonths，ascriticandsub-editor。Thiswasourfirstpersonalacquaintancewithhim。HeresidedwithhiswifeandmotheratFordham，afewmilesoutoftown，butwasathisdeskintheoffice，fromnineinthemorningtilltheeveningpaperwenttopress。Withthehighestadmirationforhisgenius，andawillingnesstoletitatoneformorethanordinaryirregularity，wewereledbycommonreporttoexpectaverycapriciousattentiontohisduties，andoccasionallyasceneofviolenceanddifficulty。Timewenton，however，andhewasinvariablypunctualandindustrious。Withhispale，beautiful，andintellectualface，asareminderofwhatgeniuswasinhim，itwasimpossible，ofcourse，nottotreathimalwayswithdeferentialcourtesy，and，toouroccasionalrequestthathewouldnotprobetoodeepinacriticism，orthathewoulderaseapassagecoloredtoohighlywithhisresentmentsagainstsocietyandmankind，hereadilyandcourteouslyassented-farmoreyieldingthanmostmen，wethought，onpointssoexcusablysensitive。Withaprospectoftakingtheleadinanotherperiodical，he，atlast，voluntarilygaveuphisemploymentwithus，and，throughallthisconsiderableperiod，wehadseenbutonepresentmentoftheman-aquiet，patient，industrious，andmostgentlemanlyperson，commandingtheutmostrespectandgoodfeelingbyhisunvaryingdeportmentandability。
Residingashedidinthecountry，wenevermetMr。Poeinhoursofleisure；buthefrequentlycalledonusafterwardatourplaceofbusiness，andwemethimofteninthestreet-invariablythesamesadmannered，winningandrefinedgentleman，suchaswehadalwaysknownhim。Itwasbyrumoronly，tiptothedayofhisdeath，thatweknewofanyotherdevelopmentofmannerorcharacter。Weheard，fromonewhoknewhimwellwhatshouldbestatedinallmentionofhislamentableirregularities，that，withasingleglassofwine，hiswholenaturewasreversed，thedemonbecameuppermost，and，thoughnoneoftheusualsignsofintoxicationwerevisible，hiswillwaspalpablyinsane。Possessinghisreasoningfacultiesinexcitedactivity，atsuchtimes，andseekinghisacquaintanceswithhiswontedlookandmemory，heeasilyseemedpersonatingonlyanotherphaseofhisnaturalcharacter，andwasaccused，accordingly，ofinsultingarroganceandbad-heartedness。Inthisreversedcharacter，werepeat，itwasneverourchancetoseehim。Weknowitfromhearsay，andwementionitinconnectionwiththissadinfirmityofphysicalconstitution；whichputsituponverynearlythegroundofatemporaryandalmostirresponsibleinsanity。
Thearrogance，vanity，anddepravityofheart，ofwhichMr。Poewasgenerallyaccused，seemtousreferablealtogethertothisreversedphaseofhischaracter。Underthatdegreeofintoxicationwhichonlyacteduponhimbydemonizinghissenseoftruthandright，hedoubtlesssaidanddidmuchthatwaswhollyirreconcilablewithhisbetternature；but，whenhimself，andasweknewhimonly，hismodestyandunaffectedhumility，astohisowndeservings，wereaconstantcharmtohischaracter。Hisletters，ofwhichtheconstantapplicationforautographshastakenfromus，wearesorrytoconfess，thegreaterportion，exhibitedthisqualityverystrongly。
Inoneofthecarelesslywrittennotesofwhichwechancestilltoretainpossession，forinstance，hespeaksof“TheRaven“thatextraordinarypoemwhichelectrifiedtheworldofimaginativereaders，andhasbecomethetypeofaschoolofpoetryofitsown-and，inevidentearnest，attributesitssuccesstothefewwordsofcommendationwithwhichwehadprefaceditinthispaper-Itwillthrowlightonhissanecharactertogivealiteralcopyofthenote：
“FORDHAM，April20，1849
“MyDEARWILLISThepoemwhichIinclose，andwhichIamsovainastohopeyouwilllike，insomerespects，hasbeenjustpublishedinapaperforwhichsheernecessitycompelsmetowrite，nowandthen。Itpayswellastimesgo-butunquestionablyitoughttopaytenprices；
forwhateverIsenditIfeelIamconsigningtothetomboftheCapulets。Theversesaccompanyingthis，mayIbegyoutotakeoutofthetomb，andbringthemtolightinthe’Homejournal？’Ifyoucanobligemesofarastocopythem，Idonotthinkitwillbenecessarytosay’Fromthe，thatwouldbetoobad；and，perhaps，’Fromalatepaper，’woulddo。
“Ihavenotforgottenhowa’goodwordinseason’fromyoumade’TheRaven，’andmade’Ulalume’whichby-the-way，peoplehavedonemethehonorofattributingtoyou，therefore，IwouldaskyouifIdared
tosaysomethingoftheselinesiftheypleaseyou。
“Trulyyoursever，“EDGARA。POE。”
Indoubleproofofhisearnestdispositiontodothebestforhimself，andofthetrustfulandgratefulnaturewhichhasbeendeniedhim，wegiveanotheroftheonlythreeofhisnoteswhichwechancetoretain：
“FORDHAM，January22，1848。