“The Raven” is a narrative poem by Edgar Allan Poe, first published on 29 January 1845. The poem tells the story of a man who is visited by a talking raven, which perches on a bust of Pallas Athena and speaks the word “Nevermore.” The man, who is mourning the death of his love, Lenore, becomes increasingly obsessed with the raven and begins to believe that it is a symbol of his own mind and that it will never let him forget his loss. The poem is known for its musicality, its use of repetition, and its portrayal of the narrator’s descent into madness. It is considered one of Poe’s greatest works and one of the most famous poems in American literature.
