The Raven BY EDGAR ALLAN POE

Thee: vos.
Thy: vuesro, vuestra.
Thou: Tú, vos.

O nce upon a midnight dreary1, while I pondered2, weak and weary,

Over many a quaint3 and curious volume of forgotten lore4—
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping5,
As of some one gently rapping6, rapping at my chamber door.
“’Tis some visitor,” I muttered, “tapping at my chamber door—
Only this and nothing more.”
1 Dreary: triste, monótono, pensativo. 2 Ponder: Reflexionar . 3 Quaint: Pintoresco, extraño. 4 Lore: Ciencia, saber.
5 Tap: Golpear ligeramente. 6 Rap: Golpear, llamar a la puerta.

Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak7 December;

And each separate dying ember8 wrought9 its ghost upon the floor.
Eagerly10 I wished the morrow11;—vainly I had sought to borrow
From my books surcease12 of sorrow—sorrow for the lost Lenore—
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore—
Nameless here for evermore.
7 Bleak: desolado, desapacible. 8Ember: Ascua.
Wrought: Forjar, P.P. de trabajar en inglés antiguo.
9

10Eagerly: Ansiosamente. 11Morrow: la mañana en inglés antiguo . 12Surcease: Cesar, detener.

And the silken13, sad, uncertain rustling14 of each purple curtain

Thrilled me—filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;
So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating
“’Tis some visitor entreating15 entrance at my chamber door—
Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door;—
This it is and nothing more.”
13 Silken: sedoso. 14 Rustling: Crujir. 15 Entreat: Rogar, pedir, suplicar.

Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,

“Sir,” said I, “or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore;
But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping,
And so faintly16 you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door,
That I scarce17 was sure I heard you”—here I opened wide the door;—
Darkness there and nothing more.
16 Faintly: débilmente. 17 Scarce: apenas (barely).

Deep into that darkness peering18, long I stood there wondering, fearing,
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before;
But the silence was unbroken, and the stillness gave no token19,
And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, “Lenore?”
This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, “Lenore!”—
Merely this and nothing more.
18 Peering: escrutar, escudriñar 19 Token: prenda (“Pero la quietud no dio prenda”)
 Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning,
Soon again I heard a tapping somewhat louder than before.
“Surely,” said I, “surely that is something at my window lattice20;
Let me see, then, what thereat21 is, and this mystery explore—
Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore;—
’Tis the wind and nothing more!”
20 Lattice: enrejado 21 Thereat: At that place; there.

Open here I flung22 the shutter23, when, with many a flirt24 and flutter25,
In there stepped a stately26 Raven of the saintly days of yore27;
Not the least obeisance28 made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he;
But, with mien29 of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door—
Perched30 upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door—
Perched, and sat, and nothing more.
22 Flung: Past tense and past participle of fling ( to move with haste or violence). 23 Shutter: postigo. 24Flirt: suave.
25Flutter: aleteo. 26Stately: majestuoso. 27Yore: de la antigüedad, de antaño. 28 Obeisance: homenaje, gesto de
respeto. 29Mien: Porte. 30Perched: Posado, encaramado.

Then this ebony bird beguiling31 my sad fancy into smiling,

By the grave and stern32 decorum of the countenance33 it wore,
“Though thy crest be shorn34 and shaven, thou,” I said, “art sure no craven35,
Ghastly36 grim37 and ancient Raven wandering from the Nightly shore38—
Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night’s Plutonian shore!”
Quoth39 the Raven “Nevermore.”
31 Beguiling: divertir, distraer, fascinar. 32Stern:serio, severo. 33Countenance: Apariencia, aspect, especialmente la

expression facial.. 34 Shorn: esquilada, cortada, pelada. 35 Craven:cobarde. 36 Ghastly: horrible, terrible.
37 Grim: siniestro, adusto, macabro. 38 Shore: ribera. 39 Quoth: another word for said.

Much I marvelled this ungainly39 fowl40 to hear discourse so plainly41,

Though its answer little meaning—little relevancy bore;
For we cannot help agreeing that no living human being
Ever yet was blessed with seeing bird above his chamber door—
Bird or beast upon the sculptured bust above his chamber door,
With such name as “Nevermore.”
40 Ungainly: Desgarbado. 41 Fowl: pájaro, ave. 42Plainly: Claramente.

But the Raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only
That one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour43.
Nothing farther then he uttered44—not a feather then he fluttered—
Till I scarcely45 more than muttered “Other friends have flown before—
On the morrow he will leave me, as my Hopes have flown before.”
Then the bird said “Nevermore.”
43 Outpour: Derramara. 44 Uttered: pronunció. 45 Scarcely: apenas.

Startled46 at the stillness broken by reply so aptly spoken,

“Doubtless47,” said I, “what it utters is its only stock48 and store49
Caught from some unhappy master whom unmerciful Disaster
Followed fast and followed faster till his songs one burden50 bore—
 Till the dirges50 of his Hope that melancholy burden bore
Of ‘Never—nevermore’.”

46 Startled: Sorprendido, alarmado. Doubtless:Indudable. 48 Stock: repertorio. 49Store:almacén..

47 Burden: carga.
50

51Dirges: Lamentos.

But the Raven still beguiling all my sad soul into smiling,
Straight I wheeled52 a cushioned seat in front of bird, and bust and door;
Then, upon the velvet sinking, I betook53 myself to linking
Fancy unto fancy, thinking what this ominous bird of yore—
What this grim, ungainly, gaunt, and ominous bird of yore
Meant in croaking54 “Nevermore.”
52 Wheeled: Girar, rotar. 53 Betook: (Betake: dirigirse, entregarse).54 Croaking: (croak: graznar).

This I sat engaged in guessing, but no syllable expressing

To the fowl whose fiery eyes now burned into my bosom55’s core56;
This and more I sat divining, with my head at ease reclining
On the cushion’s velvet-violet lining57 that the lamp-light gloated58 o’er59,
But whose velvet-violet lining with the lamp-light gloating o’er,
She shall press, ah, nevermore!
55 Bosom: pecho, seno. Core: núcleo, corazón . 57Lining: revestimiento, forro. 58Gloated: (Gloat: Regodear). 59 o’er:
56

a poetic contraction of over.

Then, methought60, the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censer61
Swung by Seraphim whose foot-falls62 tinkled63 on the tufted64 floor.
“Wretch65,” I cried, “thy God hath66 lent thee—by these angels he hath sent thee
Respite67—respite and nepenthe68 from thy memories of Lenore;
Quaff69, oh quaff this kind nepenthe and forget this lost Lenore!”
Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.”
60 Methought: a mi parecer. 61Censer: incensario . 62Foot-falls: pisadas. 63Tinkled: (tinkle: tintinear). 64 Tufted:
alfombrado. 65 Wretch: miserable, granuja. 66 Hath: Archaic form of have. 67Respite:Tregua, respiro .
68 Nepenthe:Nepente (Bebida que los dioses usaban para curarse las heridas y los dolores y que además producía
olvido). 69Quaff: beber.

“Prophet!” said I, “thing of evil!—prophet still, if bird or devil!—

Whether Tempter70 sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore71,
Desolate yet all undaunted72, on this desert land enchanted—
On this home by Horror haunted—tell me truly, I implore—
Is there—is there balm73 in Gilead74?—tell me—tell me, I implore!”
Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.”
70 Tempter:Satanás. 71 Ashore:en la costa, en tierra. 72Undaunted: impávido . 73Balm: bálsamo. 74Gilead: Gilead was an
area east of the Jordan River, well known for its spices and ointments. The "balm of Gilead" was, therefore, a high-
quality ointment with healing properties.

“Prophet!” said I, “thing of evil!—prophet still, if bird or devil!

By that Heaven that bends above us—by that God we both adore—
Tell this soul with sorrow75 laden76 if, within the distant Aidenn,
It shall clasp77 a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore—
Clasp a rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore.”
 Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.”
75 Sorrow: pena, pesar, dolor. 76 Laden:cargado de, en tierra. 77Clasp: estrechar, abrazar.

“Be that word our sign of parting, bird or fiend78!” I shrieked79, upstarting80—
“Get thee back into the tempest and the Night’s Plutonian shore!
Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken!
Leave my loneliness unbroken!—quit the bust above my door!
Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!”
Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.”
78 Fiend: demonio, diablo. 79 Shrieked: shriek: gritar. 80Upstarting: presuntuoso, arrogante.

And the Raven, never flitting81, still is sitting, still is sitting

On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;
And his eyes have all the seeming82 of a demon’s that is dreaming,
And the lamp-light o’er him streaming83 throws his shadow on the floor;
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
Shall be lifted—nevermore!
81 Flitting: revolotear, marcharse. 82 Seeming: apariencia. 83Streaming: a raudales.