Vocabulary for Poe's Poem,"The Raven"
Vocabulary for Poe's Poem,"The Raven"
Grade Levels
Course, Subject
Description
Poem Vocabulary
curious: strange
lore: stories or knowledge of old beliefs
wrought: made
surcease: end
scarce: hardly
token: a sign or signal
thereat: ('there at') there
flirt: flutter; quick movement
yore: olden days; long ago
obeisance: a deep bow or curtsy
mien: way of looking or behaving
bust of Pallas: head and shoulder sculpture of the Greek goddess of wisdom (Pallas is also called Athena.)
beguiling: amusing or tricking; entertaining
decorum: proper behavior
countenance: appearance; facial expression
craven: cowardly
Plutonian shores: From Greek mythology, the shores of the River Styx, which the dead were ferried across to the Underworld, the dark kingdom of the dead. They are called 'Plutonian shores' because Pluto was the god of the Underworld.
discourse: formal writing or speaking on some important subject
dirges: somber funeral songs
fancy: imagination
betook: went
divining: predicting; guessing; imagining
gloated: gazed at with much satisfaction
methought: 'It seemed to me.'
censer: a container for incense, as may be used in some religious ceremonies
seraphim: angels
respite: relief and rest
nepenthe: in ancient lore, a drink that caused forgetfulness of sorrow and grief
quoth: 'quoted'; said
balm in Gilead: a sweet oil that was used for anointing the dead and easing their passage into the next world
Aidenn: Poe’s made-up word for Eden (paradise) (He needed it to rhyme with 'laden' and 'maiden' in the poem.)
pallid: pale
seeming: appearance