Edgar Allen Poe: Eldorado

Edgar Allen Poe ‘Eldorado

Title:

Eldorado, the fabled city of gold, could be fortune or glory.

Paraphrase:

‘Gaily bedight, A gallant knight, In sunshine and in shadow, Had journeyed long, Singing a Song, In search of Eldorado.’

Could be converted to:

With Archaic cheer, a great knight, through both day and night, traveled far, singing a song, seeking paradise.

‘But he grew old- This knight so bold- And o’er his heart a shadow Fell, as he found No spot of ground, That looked like Eldorado.’

But the great knight aged, and a shadow hung over his heart, as he died he found spot on earth that could be called paradise.

‘And, as his strength Failed him at length, He met a pilgrim shadow- “Shadow” said he, “Where can it be- This land of Eldorado?”’

And as he died, he met a shadow, he asked where paradise could be.

‘”Over the Mountains Of the Moon, Down the Valley of the Shadow, Ride, boldly ride,” The Shade replied,- “If you seek for Eldorado!”

Over the horizon it replied, ride on if you seek paradise

Connotation:

Eldorado, I feel is meant to represent paradise, heaven. Which he only finds in death.

Pilgrim Shadow, is most likely the grim reaper or the personification of death.

Shift

The shift appears after the first passage, going from brave valiant knight on a quest to old, broken dying man, struggling to find peace.

Title revisited: I now feel that the title is an allusion to paradise or the ultimate peace that we all seek, riding through the dark road of life to reach.

Theme: A dark poem, I feel that is theme is that we can only reach paradise by riding through the dark valley of life, boldly and bravely.