A Black Raven...

He liked to pose in front of my camera: "The Raven"

...and here in a portrait from the left side....

I met this photogenic little black "guy" on my travels in the Petrified Forest in Arizona and of course, he was only begging for food, not for portraits shots :)

I think a lot of you know also the poem "The Raven" - we had to read it in school, right?

"The Raven"

is a narrative poem by the American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in January 1845. It is often noted for its musicality, stylized language, and supernatural atmosphere. It tells of a talking raven's mysterious visit to a distraught lover, tracing the man's slow descent into madness. The lover, often identified as being a student, is lamenting the loss of his love, Lenore. The raven, sitting on a bust of Pallas, seems to further instigate his distress with its constant repetition of the word "Nevermore". The poem makes use of a number of folk and classical references.

Poe claimed to have written the poem very logically and methodically. His intention was to create a poem that would appeal to both critical and popular tastes, as he explains in his 1846 follow-up essay "The Philosophy of Composition". The poem was inspired in part by a talking raven in the novel Barnaby Rudge: A Tale of the Riots of 'Eighty by Charles Dickens. Poe borrows the complex rhythm and meter of Elizabeth Barrett's poem "Lady Geraldine's Courtship". The poem makes use of internal rhyme as well as alliteration throughout.

The first printing of "The Raven" was in the January 29, 1845, issue of the New York Evening Mirror. Its publication made Poe widely popular in his lifetime though it did not bring him much financial success. The poem was soon reprinted, parodied, and illustrated. Although critical opinion is divided as to its status, it remains one of the most famous poems ever written.

My new Calendars 2010 are available to buy here!