Quotes · Quote card

Quotation from The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe

“Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore—”

Edgar Allan Poe (spoken by The speaker)

The Raven, Stanza 1 (1845 text (Project Gutenberg #1065))

Portrait of Edgar Allan Poe

The famous opening establishes the midnight setting, the scholarly speaker, and the poem's driving trochaic rhythm.

Citation: "Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore—" — Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven, Stanza 1 (1845 text (Project Gutenberg #1065)). (id the-raven-q1)

Portrait: Raven Manet C2, Édouard Manet, Public domain.

Download card (PNG)

Quote card: Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, Over many a quain