Edgar Allan Poe

The Complete poems of Edgar Allan Poe

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Eldorado (1848)

A short poem referencing the mythical El Dorado. A traveler asks a “shade” where to find the legendary city of gold and is told to “ride, boldly ride.”

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

    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.

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

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

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Last updated on Tue May 26 22:07:50 2009 for eBooks@Adelaide.