The Night's Plutonian Shore

[kemper]

> bboyminn:
> How is 'night' any different than 'shore'. Sure 'night' has
> symbolism, but in this case, so does 'shore'. 
> 
> Let me quote the instances again, so we are all on the same
> page -
> 
> "Though thy crest be shorn and shave thou," I said, "art
> sure no craven, ghastly, grim, and ancient raven, wandering
> from the nightly shore. Tell me what the lordly name is on
> the Night's Plutonian shore." (Verse 8)
> 
> Notice here in one sentence, he says 'nightly shore', and in
> the next he says "Night's Plutonian shore'. 
> 
> Also notice that it is 'what THE lordly name is on THE
> Night's Plutonian shore'. Not what YOUR name is but what
> THE name is. Is he asking the name of the Raven. The
> rest of the poem seems to imply that. 

Kemper now:
If your version of the text says 'what THE lordly name is', then you are reading a sad reprinting.  The original reads/asks/demands 'Tell me what THY lordly name is on the Nights Plutonian shore!' To which the Raven answers that his name is Nevermore, or at least that what the narrator believes the name to be.  He also later assigns the Raven the sex of male (which is why I typed 'his' name): 'on the morrow /he/ will leave me...' referencing the Raven, emphasis is Poe's. 

It is midnight when the narrator hears a taping.  I assume the narrator is near a shoreline as he tells his story, the Raven comes in from the shore at night or nightly shore.

So the narrator believes that the Raven is from some place else beyond the shore he is near and across the ocean to the Night's Plutonian shore, where the ocean meets Plutopia (I kid!) 

I think Poe used 'the' in order to meet the cadence/rhythm of the line.  To misquote Freud: sometimes a the is just a the.


> Steve:
> Again, "Night's" is possessive, am I safe in assuming that?

Kemper now:
Yes

> Steve:
> Could we substitute 'Dark' or 'Darkness' for 'Night'?

Kemper now:
Yes, or Death or Shadow.

> Steve:
> Get they back into Dark's Plutonian shore. Has the author 
> simple personified Darkenss and Night? And, since he is
> treating concept of 'night' and 'darkness' as a named person,
> does that explain the capitalization?

Kemper now:
Yes.

> Steve:
> Is it, get the back into the Plutonian shore belonging to 
> Night? Or get thee back into the domain belonging to 
> Darkness or Night? 

Kemper now:
Into the domain.

 
> bboyminn:
> Just curious, did anyone check out Homer Simpson's "The Raven"?
> I think it was from one of their Holloween shows. I'm still
> amazed at how well Homer does this. You would think his voice
> was all wrong for such a serious poem, but, in my opinion,
> he nails it. 

Kemper now:
He doesn't nail it until the end, imo.
I have memorized The Raven... more out of boredom than any intellectual pursuit.  I had quit smoking so instead of going outside to hurt my lungs during my breaks, I would head into the basement of my place of work where there was a little work out room.  There was also little radio reception, so as I found exercise boring without music or anything stimulating, I found a book of poetry and recited the longest poem with an easy story and rhythm.  It took me a month and about 10 lbs which I've kept off as well as 20 other pounds.  But I did it. I entertain youth with it in the fall at work. It's not really a poem for the sunshine.

Have fun with it!  I sometimes recite the narrators voiced parts in the poem in a whiny tone.  Because, really... the narrator is a bit emo-ie and sees death in everything, even an effing bird.  
What a crybaby!

Kemper