Two works by Poe decoded. Announcement!!

Sonnet to Zante:
Fair isle, that from the fairest of all flowers,
Thy gentlest of all gentle names dost take!
How many memories of what radiant hours
At sight of thee and thine at once awake!
How many scenes of what departed bliss!
How many thoughts of what entombed hopes!
How many visions of a maiden that is
No more- no more upon thy verdant slopes!
No more! alas, that magical sad sound
Transforming all! Thy charms shall please no more-
Thy memory no more! Accursed ground
Henceforth I hold thy flower-enameled shore,
O hyacinthine isle! O purple Zante!
"Isola d'oro! Fior di Levante!"


A series of coincidences brought about the decoding first of the Sonnet and, five years later, of Al Aaraaf.
Inbetween following "classic" riddles, all interrelated and very relevant, were encounterd and finally solved:

D'Anastasy, the "armenian" alchemy papyri collector, consul(1826-?) of Sweden and Norway to Egypt
Cagliostro -Balsamo and "his" Rite of Mizraim
Comte Saint Germain, minister of war of Luis XV and XVI
The designer of the great seal of the USA, a friend and advisor of Ben.Franklin and G. Washington .
The affair of the queen's necklace (1784-1785) that brought about the french revolution (1789-1790)
The Stuart jewels "discovered" by Walter Scott.

A few words on the poems themselves:
Both refer to Zante* and "tell" on Edgar's younger and romantic years that ended some years before the Sonnet was written.
Hence the difference in style: Aaraaf written propably 1826-28 , secretive and elaborated, lengthy, almost epic, a product of the mind, the Sonnet, written in a day, end of 1836, short and sentimental, a product of a troubled yet sincere soul mourning a death that deeply affected him.
The Sonnet refers indeed to the death of young woman, wife of a man Poe had to contact during his diplomatic mission to the Levant early 1827. They greatly impressed Poe and hence, when he learned of the 1835 murder that included both her and other members of the man's family, his world totally collapsed.

Will be answering posts by members who have studied Edgar's life and poetry and raise specific questions on the two poems only.
Will not be revealing details or solutions of said riddles: A book will hopefully be published once a competent (and willing and daring) editor-publisher is found and this information will onlt be revealed there.


*After the fall of Venice to the french, a succesion of protectors ruled the island of Zante (jacobine french and russians-allies of the Ottomans then- imperial napoleonic french and finally english 1809). Zante joined Modern Greece in 1864.
Greece was liberated after four centuries of Ottoman occupation by the war for independence 1821-1827.

As a student of Poe, his works, his life and his even more revealing correspondence with friends, enemies and life time associates, after 47 years, I remain perpetually amused by the persistent attempts to add enigmatic elements and mystery to a historic personality already so singularly unique.

Of more recent revelations to be rediscovered, among the mysterious, long lost manuscripts of Mr. Poe, are the Beale Papers as characterized by Mr. Robert Ward in his January 2002 publication, The Last Haunting of Edgar Allan Poe. I have found Mr. Ward’s work interesting, exciting and even fascinating. Alas... my own personal exposure to every readily available facet and varying scholarly opinion of Mr. Poe’s existence that I have been able lay my hands on, forces much caution in this regard.

As to the two poems of interest, Al Aaraaf and Sonnet – To Zante, each has had several separate publications and many of these were printed with revisions, whether detailed or minor. In many printings of Al Aaraaf, only excerpts of the poem were printed. To which do you refer?

The first appearance of this poem was in, Al Aaraaf, Tamerlane and Minor Poems in late 1829 by Hatch & Dunning of Baltimore. By Poe’s own hand, he reveals the subject of this poem as the newly discovered star that, for about 18 months, shined brighter than Jupiter before it disappeared, never to be seen again. The observer/discoverer was Tycho Brahe (1546-1601), a Danish nobleman who made significant contributions to Astronomy. His observation of this phenomenon occurred in 1572, which we now know was a supernova.

While Poe maintained varying interests that included an astonishingly broad range of subject matter, these interests merely served to provide substance for his base passion, poetry. To Poe, no subject matter was sacred or exempt from molding and manipulation by his extraordinary grasp of the language, his gifted imagination and a profound intellect. According to Poe himself, Al Aaraaf is a place known to ‘Arabians’ as an interim existence between Heaven and Hell and located in the star of Tycho Brahe.

You characterize Al Aaraaf as “secretive and elaborated, lengthy, almost epic, a product of the mind...” and suggest its origins may be between 1826-1828. However accurate it may be, Poe himself included this poem in his 1845 publication of The Raven and Other Poems under the section entitled ‘Poems Written in Youth’, pages 56 through 73. Your estimate would have made Poe from 17-19 years of age which appears reasonable given that our dear Edgar spent about 23 months serving from May 26 1827 to April 15, 1829 in the United States Army under the name of Edgar A Perry.

It is certainly conceivable that serving in a peacetime posting to Fort Moultrie on Sullivan’s Island in South Carolina and Fort Monroe in Virginia would provide him sufficient free time to write this poem. However, while it is lengthy and comparatively elaborate (almost to the point of disjointed), in terms of its length, Poe himself later admitted in his 1846 essay, The Philosophy of Composition:

“What we term a long poem is, in fact, merely a succession of brief ones — that is to say, of brief poetical effects.”

Then again in his 1848 essay, The Poetic Principle:

“I hold that a long poem does not exist. I maintain that the phrase, "a long poem," is simply a flat contradiction in terms.”

Consequently, one would likely find that its length or its ornate or convoluted nature is indicative of nothing more than the youthful efforts of a passionate, young and brilliant dreamer to establish literary recognition of his potential talents. Likewise, anything viewed as secretive or coded within the text is likely born, not in the exquisite mind and imagination of a young Edgar Poe, but rather in the mind of the “discoverer”.

As regarding the Sonnet – To Zante, I would agree that it is short and sentimental. That it refers to the death of a young woman and wife of a man he had met on a diplomatic mission to the Lavant in 1827 is absurd. Edgar Allan Poe left the United States only once in his lifetime on June 22, 1815 at the age of six years on the ship Lothair for England with his foster parents, John and Frances Allan and Frances’ sister Anne M. Valentine. They returned from England aboard the Martha on July 22, 1820 when Poe was eleven years of age. During this five year, one month stay, Poe is known to have been schooled in geography, spelling, Catechism and perhaps even in the classics possibly including Latin and Greek. That Poe once served as a diplomat in 1827 at the age of 18 years is ridiculous.

By February 1837, one month after this poem appeared in the Southern Literary Messenger, Poe, with his wife and her family were living in New York.

Best Regards,

My pleasure for being among connoiseurs is expressed firstly and my answer next:

An elaborate reply by a declared Poe devotee who apparently doubts his idol's claims (that he did in fact join a "greek expedition") and therefore focuses on the detail avoiding the long view.

Thus, your introductory : "I remain perpetually amused by the persistent attempts to add enigmatic elements and mystery to a historic personality already so singularly unique" deserving only Poe's "secrecy shall knowledge be in the environs of heaven-Al Aaraaf " and nothing else.

Furthermore (your "comment", my -reply)

"As to the two poems of interest, Al Aaraaf and Sonnet – To Zante, each has had several separate publications and many of these were printed with revisions, whether detailed or minor. In many printings of Al Aaraaf, only excerpts of the poem were printed. To which do you refer?"
-The Sonnet as per text in my announcement , Al Aaraaf as per the Electronic Text Center, University of Virginia Library.

"By Poe’s own hand, he reveals the subject of this poem as the newly discovered star that, for about 18 months, shined brighter than Jupiter before it disappeared, never to be seen again. The observer/discoverer was Tycho Brahe (1546-1601), a Danish nobleman who made significant contributions to Astronomy. His observation of this phenomenon occurred in 1572, which we now know was a supernova."
-Not at all! The text refers to events taking place in Greece in 1827 including Navarino which Edgar witnessed on board USS Constitution. Edgar covered up his role in his "expedition to Greece" when he realised upon his return to the USA that "things" had changed.
He does it also later on by obviously lying again for his 1825-29 whereabouts:
[Poe provided Rufus W. Griswold with this autobiographical note for Griswold's upcoming anthology The Poets and Poetry of America (1842). MEMORANDUM. Memo. Born January, 1811. ......In 1825 went to the Jefferson University at Charlottesville, Va., where for 3 years I led a very dissipated life the college at that period being shamefully dissolute. Dr. Dunglison of Philadelphia, President. Took the first honors, however, and came home greatly in debt. Mr. A. refused to pay some of the debts of honor, and I ran away from home without a dollar on a quixotic expedition to join the Greeks, then struggling for liberty. Failed in reaching Greece, but made my way to St. Petersburg, in Russia. Got into many difficulties, but was extricated by the kindness of Mr. H. Middleton, the American consul at St. P. Came home safe in 1829.....

"Al Aaraaf is a place known to ‘Arabians’ as an interim existence between Heaven and Hell and located in the star of Tycho Brahe."
-By "Al Aaraaf" Edgar means Angelo the embassador (" my embassy is given") ie himself "the distant stranger" (Araf="Afar, afar the wandering star")

"...our dear Edgar spent about 23 months serving from May 26 1827 to April 15, 1829 in the United States Army under the name of Edgar A Perry. It is certainly conceivable that serving in a peacetime posting to Fort Moultrie on Sullivan’s Island in South Carolina and Fort Monroe in Virginia..."
-Planted details in abundance my dear Watson : Edgar first used the alias Henri Rennet and left the Allens early March 1827 if not earlier. (Captain Jonathan P. Miller returned to the United States in 1826 and through the efforts of the New York, he was able to collect $17,500 worth of various relief sup plies, which he look back to Greece onboard the ship "Chancellor", on March 5, 1827. The same year two more ships, "Jane" and "Six Brothers," left New York harbor bound for Greece car rying various relief supplies of $25,000 in the aggregate. At about the same time, two more shiploads of supplies totaling about $22,500 left the port of Philadelphia onboard the ships "Tontine" and "Levant," while from Boston the ship "Statesman" carried to Greece cargo worth over $ 11,500.All these relief provisions that contained food items, clothing, medical supplies and other necessi ties, were distributed primarily to the suffering Greek civilian popula tion, albeit soldiers and brigands stole some supplies upon the arrival of the cargo to Greece. On " January 2, 1827, Congressman Edward Livingston from Louisiana introduced a motion in Congress for the appropriation of $50,000 to purchase supplies for the needy people of Greece. His motion was defeated, but through private initiatives and fundraising activities $80,000 was collected in a combina tion of cash, food items and other in-kind aid.In 1827 and 1828 a total of eight shiploads of supplies and relief aid worth more than $150,000 (an extraordinary amount in today's standards) were dispatched to Greece and distributed by oversee ing officials to needy members of the civilian population)
Quoting other web source:
With a young friend, Ebenezer Burling, he endeavored to make his way, with scarcely a dollar in his pocket, to Greece, with the wild design of aiding in the Revolution then taking place. Burling soon repented his folly, and gave up the design when he had scarcely entered on the expedition. Mr. Poe persevered but did not succeed in reaching the scene of action; he proceeded, however, to St. Petersburgh, where, through deficiency of passport, he became involved in serious difficulties, from which he was finally extricated by the American Consul.

"Likewise, anything viewed as secretive or coded within the text is likely born, not in the exquisite mind and imagination of a young Edgar Poe, but rather in the mind of the “discoverer”."
-You "done it" again!

"As regarding the Sonnet – To Zante, I would agree that it is short and sentimental. That it refers to the death of a young woman and wife of a man he had met on a diplomatic mission to the L E vant in 1827 is absurd. ... That Poe once served as a diplomat in 1827 at the age of 18 years is ridiculous."
-Answering your decorative adjectives I advise that at least one archivial source wants his foster father Allen back in London in March 1823 together with Bentham and lords Eskin and Byron discussing with the greek representative Louriotis (of the revolutionary greek parliament) the possibility of a loan for the frigates ordered soon after to US shipyards and partly delivered later?
Allen is described therein as a "virtuous quaker".

Concluding:
The web provided the means so that secrecy becomes knowledge before "the environs of heaven".

As I have already confessed my reverence for Mr. Poe’s genius in the literary arts and, in no small measure, for his extraordinary intellect for subject matter real or imagined, esoteric or simplistic, I will also readily confess that I am no Poe scholar. After 47 years of study interrupted only by a brief period in the service of my country, I have enjoyed the pleasure of exposure to a broad range of opinion. To some degree, I frequently find myself at odds with many scholars with whom I hold a profound respect and admiration. However ironic this appears, generally, these conflicts tend to more reflect a difference of perspective than any significant disparity of substance. One of these differences deals directly with your presumed allegation that I doubt the words of my own “idol”.

In the study of any individual, particularly one of historical note, there is a persistency of failure in remaining objective, regardless of scholarship, when attempting to explain the substance of any particular attribute of the human animal. For example, while we Americans revere the genius of Thomas Jefferson in his conception of our Declaration of Independence, we also marvel at the fact that this man could have possibly conceived and written the words, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,...”, and, at the same instant, hold in his possession another human being as a slave. However conflicting and hypocritical this may be, it does not diminish one bit, the fundamental truth of the observation that all men are “created equal”.

To believe, to assert or to even suggest that I or you or anyone, need presume truth in facts as stated is as absurd as the notion that admiration for unique genius compels one to presume goodness, honesty and sublime benevolence toward all. Ridiculous! The last man to walk this planet with that measure of divinity was Jesus and, frankly, I have questions about that. In any case, these past 47 years has permitted me to be much more discriminating in my personal views toward Mr. Poe. His brief existence on this planet has been written about, debated over and taught in our schools for very near 200 years. He was neither a saint nor Satan, merely a man of uncommon genius struggling desperately for recognition among common men. That he died poor and unrewarded for his genius speaks not to the failure of Edgar Allan Poe, but rather to the dullness of his contemporaries and those of us left to adore his genius.

I found nothing in your post to suggest a re-examination of my facts was warranted and, in all candor, your references to Captain Jonathan P. Miller appear completely disconnected with Mr. Poe in terms of direct association.

I am quite familiar with your quote regarding a young Ebenezer Burling. The quote is from a biography of Mr. Poe published by the Baltimore Saturday Visitor on July 29, 1843 and written by Joseph E Snodgrass. A goodly portion of this biography was taken straight from another article in the Saturday Museum of Philadelphia and is chocked full of errors and misstated details, whether intentional or unintentional.

By any judgment, the details expounded in this article can be demonstrated to be in error and misapplication through a summary review of the timing of Mr. Poe’s own correspondence, his publications and his whereabouts throughout the years in question. I would simply refer you to the Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore website at http://www.eapoe.org

In conclusion, sir, it appears I need only reassert my amusement at this repeated attempt to add mystery where none is needed. I do not expect to alter your conclusions nor do I wish to. Many decades have now passed for any number of mysteries, conspiracies and unwarranted conjecture and beliefs that still persist today in the absence of demonstrable evidence. I do not expect this to be any different, but in any case, go for it... give it all you got.

Best Regards,

Avoiding evidence presented with eloquent-admittedly-verbosity, unable to support the "mislabeling" characterization you gave to the "announcement" and to justify the decorative adjectives you indirectly assigned to "yanni the greek", you then select an ironic yet hasty withdrawal from the- 47 years?- issue.
Do you then ignore, Sir,the graces of Lygeia, the true reasons Edgar decided to include her in his excellent Al Aaraaf?
Alas, if no real interest exists in this shrine of american literature, where then can a poor greek amateur express his innermost admiration for Mr Poe?

Last but not least:
To Your "By any judgment, the details expounded in this article can be demonstrated to be in error and misapplication through a summary review of the timing of Mr. Poe’s own correspondence" the folowing is sufficient evidence to the contrary:
1827 - March 25 (letter text) RCL#015 .
E. G. Crump (Dinwiddie Co., VA) to Poe (en route to Boston?). Stanard, pp. 52-53; Phillips, 1:270-271; Allan, 1:200; Quinn, p. 115-116. MS at DLC (Ellis-Allan). (CL41-9; CL48-15.) [Poe seems never to have received Crump's letter since he had already left John Allan's household a week earlier. On the back of the letter, John Allan wrote the note: "Edw'd G. Crump, Mar. 25 1827 [[/]] to E. A. Poe, alias Henri Le Rennet." The letter was first printed by Killis Campbell in "Unpublished Documents Relating to Poe's Early Years," Sewanee Review, April 1912, XX, pp. 201-212 (with this letter appearing on p. 209).
1827 - March (?) RCL#015a
Mrs. F. Allan (Richmond) to Poe (en route to Boston?) (Two letters). Noted by Whitty (1911), p. xxx; and Phillips, 1:294.

In other words: The exact date of Edgar's departure from the Allens, ie the date for his embarkation to Greece, is seriously doubted by "the timing of Mr. Poe’s own correspondence".
Sorry!

As an expression of appreciation to the few members who witnessed the above exchange with the abrupt end, the interpretation of beautiful "Nesace" will follow next.

Who was "Nesace"?

As "nesace" means "small island" in greek and Zante is indeed a small island then, if the old rules still apply and two thing equal to a third are also between themselves equal, Edgar by Nesace meant Zante but did his utmost to hide it hermeticaly.

In fact he not only hides Zante behind Nesace but to further confuse the issue, he defines early in the text of Al Aaraaf that Zante is a flower or a perfume("And thy most lovely purple perfume, Zante! Isola d'oro!- Fior di Levante!")
He furthermore invents another code name for her: "Ianthe" of Part II ("Ianthe, dearest, see- how dim that ray! How lovely 'tis to look so far away!" and " Ianthe, beauty crowded on me then, and half I wish'd to be again of men." and "But, list, Ianthe! when the air so soft, Fail'd, as my pennon'd spirit leapt aloft,Perhaps my brain grew dizzy- but the world,I left so late was into chaos hurl'd-").
Thus
a)the few who understood italian also knew Zante the island and "flower of the Levant" as known then but, not knowing greek, would not relate "Nesace" to Zante.
b)the majority of his then readers and "censors" to be, spoke neither italian nor greek, ie understood nothing .
c)For the very few that would brake the other code names, he invents Ianthe or Iante (I believe he uses this alternative also along with all the others in a version of Al Aaaraaf) to confuse them.
Indeed very few knew then that John Polidori's origins were from Zante and that his heroess ("The Vampyre", 1821) Ianthe, sucked dry by a blood thirsty Byron, meant indeed Zante.

Edgar personifies Nesace-Zante-Ianthe to the maiden murdered as above in the spring of 1835 on the "verdant slopes" of the island and proceeds then to disclose in english that indeed Zante, the "Fair isle, that from the fairest of all flowers..." was all along in mind.
He then decides to curse Zante for the fate of the "fair maiden" of his romantic and heroic youth and then changes course in life by making the Sonnet the last thing he publishes before his departure from the Southern Literary Magazin January 1837.




Poe's as well as Polidori's codes have apparently never been broken until now.

Subtracting about 20 own "views" from the 182 so far of the thread and some 40 or so by Tis, and dividing the remainder 132 by, say, 6 we get 22 "silent viewers".
Who are you, how can you remain silent if you are really interested for Edgar Poe?
Go ahead and ask your question 'cause its getting boring here!
Plenty more as above and better will be lost otherwise.

It appears that your lack of response is troubling and, honestly, I do regret that no one has taken the time to question you proposition that Edgar Poe has left some hidden message or code or cipher or some cryptic knowledge that only you have discovered.

Your initial premise that Edgar Poe left Richmond in early to mid March of 1827 for Boston with a young companion, Ebenezer Burling, may or may not be accurate. While I would not argue the date of his departure from Richmond, or even that he was using the name Henri Le Rennet, (Edgar was known to use other aliases as well), whether he was accompanied by an Ebenezer Burling adds nothing to your premise. It is well documented that he ended up in Baltimore, waiting for his poetic talents to be recognized.

You have also suggested, or at least inferred, that Edgar boarded the USS Constitution in Boston bound for Greece. A simple review of the ship’s calendar and logs for the USS Constitution will reveal that this United States battle frigate arrived in New York City on May 20, 1824 after spending 3 years and 17 days as the flagship of the Mediterranean Squadron having sailed from Boston, Massachusetts on May, 13, 1821 under the command of Captain Jacob Jones. There is no question of where Poe was at this time.

Upon her return to the United States, the USS Constitution spent approximately 5.5 months in New York City before departing on October 29, 1824 under the command of Captain Thomas Macdonough and did not return to the United States until July 4, 1828. This is more than a year from March of 1827. The USS Constitution was not a cruise ship, but rather an American man-o-war. I have seen no evidence to indicate that Poe, under any pseudonym, was in the United States Navy or sailed as a private citizen aboard this ship. Consequently, you are in error.

Why you even bother to mention Captain Jonathan P Miller at all is unfathomable. Raising money and supplies for the relief of revolutionary Greece is admirable, but you fail to tie the Captain and Edgar together in any clearly discernable manner.

The March 25, 1827 letter from E. G. Crump proves only that Edgar owed him money and that Mr. Crump himself was unaware the Edgar had left Richmond before the letter arrived. In terms of your proposition, this is at best neutral. It suggests nothing to support your premise.

The two letters you mention from Frances Keeling Valentine Allan to Poe dated March 1827, absolving him of guilt for his confrontation with John Allan were likely mailed to Poe’s family, known to be living in Baltimore because Poe is known to have had them in his possession at one time. They were supposedly passed to his cousin, Elizabeth Phillips by Poe, himself, following the death of Virginia Clemm Poe. Oh yes... I have also heard the long discredited tales of Poe writing his family from Europe and St. Petersburg. Neither are true and no authoritative scholars have shown these letters have ever surfaced.

In all, I suppose, there could be any number of reasons for a lack of interest, but honestly, your premise does leave one wondering what questions to ask. It needs much more clarity. Where are you headed with this? What is the point? Why should anyone care to be interested? Why should anyone care at all? Where is evidence, the details and how does Edgar fit into them? Is this your personal interpretation of these two poems? Do you possess any reasonable firm evidence beyond wishful thinking for your premise? Do you mean to say coded text or is this simply an example of Poe’s acrostics of which he was so fond?

In any case... I‘ll check in on you periodically to see how you are progressing. Best of luck... really! ;)

It's good to see you back on stage, dear Tis, however transparent your "Poe enthusiast" facade has become in the meantime. With Xmas approaching and relative additional energy requirements(!), I assume both your professional(!) as well as your personal agendas are heavy, so why waste time arguing instead of exchanging greetings and presents?
(Re your questions at he end of your last post, the answers are provided in first post of mine above)

To the enthusiast in you-there is a part, I know- the other silent viewers and the unknown hand that corrected my small orthos-many thanks- here below is a summary of Q-A's and the solution to another subriddle of Al Aaraaf for all to enjoy.

AL AARAAF AND THE SONNET TO ZANTE by E.A.Poe.
How do the two poems relate?
Both refer to Zante and "tell" on Edgar's romantic youth that ended some years before the Sonnet was written. Hence the difference in style: Aaraaf written propably 1826-28 , secretive and elaborated, lengthy, almost epic, a product of the mind, the Sonnet, written in a day, end of 1836, short and sentimental, a product of a troubled yet sincere soul mourning a death that deeply affected him.
The Sonnet refers indeed to the death of young woman, wife of a man Poe had to contact during his diplomatic mission to the Levant early 1827. They greatly impressed Poe and hence, when he learned of the 1835 murder that included both her and other members of the man's family, his world totally collapsed.

What inspired Edgar to write Al Aaraaf in the first place?The poem refers to events taking place in Greece in 1827 including Navarino which Edgar witnessed on board USS Constitution.

Who says so?
Edgar says so (see *text at the end of this post ) and so does USS Constitution's own itinerary which fully coincides with Edgar's claim to have visited Athens, the greek aegean islands and Asia Minor coast. The ship's diary further confirms various inexplicable casualties-dead and injured-after the battle on the way to Minorca, her station.

Why did he join the greek expedition?
At least one archivial source wants his foster father Allen back in London in March 1823 together with Bentham and lords Eskin and Byron discussing with the greek representative Louriotis (of the revolutionary greek parliament) the possibility of a loan for the frigates ordered soon after to US shipyards and partly delivered later.Allen is described therein as a "virtuous quaker".

When and how did Edgar leave the US for Greece?
Edgar first used the alias Henri Rennet and left the Allens early March 1827 if not earlier. (Captain Jonathan P. Miller returned to the United States in 1826 and through the efforts of the New York, he was able to collect $17,500 worth of various relief sup plies, which he look back to Greece onboard the ship "Chancellor", on March 5, 1827.

evidence from the web:
1827 - March 25 (letter text) RCL#015 . E. G. Crump (Dinwiddie Co., VA) to Poe (en route to Boston?). Stanard, pp. 52-53; Phillips, 1:270-271; Allan, 1:200; Quinn, p. 115-116. MS at DLC (Ellis-Allan). (CL41-9; CL48-15.) [Poe seems never to have received Crump's letter since he had already left John Allan's household a week earlier. On the back of the letter, John Allan wrote the note: "Edw'd G. Crump, Mar. 25 1827 [[/]] to E. A. Poe, alias Henri Le Rennet." The letter was first printed by Killis Campbell in "Unpublished Documents Relating to Poe's Early Years," Sewanee Review, April 1912, XX, pp. 201-212 (with this letter appearing on p. 209).
1827 - March (?) RCL#015a Mrs. F. Allan (Richmond) to Poe (en route to Boston?) (Two letters). Noted by Whitty (1911), p. xxx; and Phillips, 1:294.

additional evidence from the web :
With a young friend, Ebenezer Burling, he endeavored to make his way, with scarcely a dollar in his pocket, to Greece, with the wild design of aiding in the Revolution then taking place. Burling soon repented his folly, and gave up the design when he had scarcely entered on the expedition. Mr. Poe persevered but did not succeed in reaching the scene of action; he proceeded, however, to St. Petersburgh, where, through deficiency of passport, he became involved in serious difficulties, from which he was finally extricated by the American Consul.

Why did Edgar cover up his role later?
Edgar covered up his role in his "expedition to Greece" when he realised upon his return to the USA that "things" had changed.
He does it also later-on by obviously lying again for his 1825-29 whereabouts :
(autobiographical note for Griswold's upcoming anthology The Poets and Poetry of America 1842). MEMORANDUM. Memo. Born January, 1811. ......In 1825 went to the Jefferson University at Charlottesville, Va., where for 3 years I led a very dissipated life the college at that period being shamefully dissolute.... and I ran away from home without a dollar on a quixotic expedition to join the Greeks, then struggling for liberty. Failed in reaching Greece, but made my way to St. Petersburg, in Russia. Got into many difficulties, but was extricated by the kindness of Mr. H. Middleton, the American consul at St. P. Came home safe in 1829.....

Who was Al Aaraaf ?
By "Al Aaraaf" Edgar means Angelo the embassador (" my embassy is given") ie himself "the distant stranger" (Araf="Afar, afar the wandering star")

Who was Nesace?
As "nesace" means "small island" in greek and Zante is indeed a small island, obvioulsy Edgar by Nesace meant Zante but did his utmost to hide it hermeticaly. In fact he not only hid Zante behind Nesace but, to further confuse the issue, he defined early in the text of Al Aaraaf that Zante is a flower or a perfume("And thy most lovely purple perfume, Zante! Isola d'oro!- Fior di Levante!") He furthermore invented another code name for her: "Ianthe" of Part II ("Ianthe, dearest, see- how dim that ray! How lovely 'tis to look so far away!" and " Ianthe, beauty crowded on me then, and half I wish'd to be again of men." and "But, list, Ianthe! when the air so soft, Fail'd, as my pennon'd spirit leapt aloft,Perhaps my brain grew dizzy- but the world,I left so late was into chaos hurl'd-").
Thus
a)the few who understood italian also knew Zante the island and "flower of the Levant" as known then but, not knowing greek, would not relate "Nesace" to Zante.
b)the majority of his then readers and "censors" to be, spoke neither italian nor greek, ie understood nothing .
c)For the very few that would brake the other code names, he invents Ianthe or Iante (I believe he uses this alternative also along with all the others in a version of Al Aaaraaf) to confuse them.
Indeed very few knew then that John Polidori's origins were from Zante and that his heroess ("The Vampyre", 1821) Ianthe, sucked dry by a blood thirsty Byron, meant indeed Zante.
Edgar personifies Nesace-Zante-Ianthe to the maiden murdered as above in the spring of 1835 on the "verdant slopes" of the island and proceeds then to disclose in english that indeed Zante, the "Fair isle, that from the fairest of all flowers..." was all along in mind.
He then decides to curse Zante for the fate of the "fair maiden" of his romantic and heroic youth and then changes course in life by making the Sonnet the last thing he publishes before his departure from the Southern Literary Magazin January 1837.

*What part of Al Aaraaf confirms Edgar's presence on board the USS Consitution in the sea battel of Navarino?
Below is the most relative passage and its interpretation. It really is no "brainer" at all:

Spirits in wing, and angels to the view,A thousand seraphs burst th' Empyrean thro'
Young dreams still hovering on their drowsy flight-Seraphs in all but "Knowledge," the keen light
That fell, refracted, thro' thy bounds, afar,O Death! from eye of God upon that star:
Sweet was that error- sweeter still that death-Sweet was that error- even with us the breath
Of Science dims the mirror of our joy-To them 'twere the Simoon, and would destroy-
For what (to them) availeth it to know That Truth is Falsehood- or that Bliss is Woe?
Sweet was their death- with them to die was rife With the last ecstasy of satiate life-
Beyond that death no immortality-But sleep that pondereth and is not "to be'!-

Interpretation:
The "thousand seraphs" who faced the "Simoon" of the joined fleet guns and went to hell (burst th' Empyrean thro'), were really not seraphs afterall due to their ignorance (seraphs in all but "Knowledge," the keen light). It was furthermore God's own will (O Death! from eye of God upon that star) that made "our" guilt lighter and saved "our" lifes (Sweet was that error- sweeter still that death), "they" were infidels anyway whose faith did not promise life after death (Beyond that death no immortality) their lives did not "count" the same as "ours",..
(Edgar's youth is evident: He doesn't know that Paradise is common to christians and muslims alike).

The phrase "even with us the breath Of Science dims the mirror of our joy" tells of Edgar' s sadness for the sudden break up of diplomatic relations with Egypt, the "source of science" as it was widely believed then. Edgar' s "Tale of a mummy" is indicatory.


Merry Xmas and a happy New Year.

Yanni…

I sincerely regret that you feel that my questions are argumentative, I certainly do not intend them to be. However, if one is to assume you wish to publish your conclusions as non-fiction, I find it incredibly astonishing that you can seriously expect anyone, much less any serious fan of Poe, to presume facts based on conjecture and your own personal interpretations.

But, just so I understand this correctly. By your persistent repetition of undocumented ‘facts’ already offered and by repeating them frequently enough, is it the case that you expect others to accept, as valid, your proposition that Edgar sailed from Boston aboard the USS Constitution (an American warship) in very early March of 1827?

This is simply impossible because the USS Constitution left New York City on October 29, 1824 to serve as the flagship of the United States Mediterranean Squadron under the Command of Captain Thomas Macdonough. (Poe would have been about 15) The USS Constitution did not return to the United States until she pulled into Boston harbor on July 4, 1828 under the command of Captain Daniel Todd Patterson, Captain Macdonough having died at sea on a voyage back from Greece on a separate ship. The USS Constitution had not seen America in 3 years and 8 months.

Of course, since you know this proposition conflicts with the USS Constitution's calendar and log and, therefore, cannot possibly be true, your mention of Captain Jonathan P. Miller of the sailing ship “Chancellor” merely offers a vague inference that Edgar left Boston aboard the “Chancellor” on March 5, 1827, presumably under the pseudonym of Henri Le Rennet. Further, you suggest Poe, alias Rennet, left the “Chancellor” and was aboard the USS Constitution to witness the Revolution in Greece. Yet, there is substantial documentation to counter this claim while you continue to offer nothing to refute it beyond your own supposition.

This name Henri Le Rennet is a well known alias and French corruption of his brother’s name (William Henry Leonard Poe) that Edgar used to obscure his identity from gambling debts and possibly, even the law while he stayed in Baltimore before joining the Army. Secondly, the “Chancellor”, after sailing from Greece, arrived in Boston, not in Baltimore and Edgar is known to have been in Baltimore from early March through at least May 26, 1827. Your suggestion that he boarded the “Chancellor” is purely supposition and wishful conjecture for Poe is known to have been in Baltimore until he joined the United States Army under the name of Edgar A Perry.

How do we know he was in Baltimore? Sometime between early March and May 26, 1827, Poe personally wrote two untitled poems in the albums of Ms. Margaret Bassett and Ms. Octavia Walton, both of Baltimore. In addition, on October 20, 1827, one of Edgar’s poems, “Extract – Dreams” signed W. H. P. (his brother), is published in the Baltimore North American, while Edgar is known to be at Fort Independence, and not aboard the “Chancellor” headed for Greece.

Upon his five year enlistment, Edgar is sent to Fort Independence in Boston Harbor and assigned to Battery H of the 1st Artillery. His enlistment records show him as 5 ft. 8 in. in height, with grey eyes, brown hair and fair complexion. He lied about his age as 22 years, but he was actually only 18. His date of enlistment is 21 days or more after Jonathan P Miller has sailed for Greece on March 5, 1827. Poe remained at Fort Independence until October 31, 1827 when his unit was reassigned and set sail aboard the Brigantine "Waltham” and arrived at Fort Moultrie on Sullivan’s Island in Charleston, South Carolina on November 18, 1827.

How do we know he was in Boston? Poe had a booklet of poems published in Boston by Calvin F. S Thomas entitled Tamerlane and Other Poems under the name, ‘A Bostonian’. There were about 50 copies printed to be freely distributed. Today, only 12 copies are now known to exist.

From November 18, 1827 until December 10, 1827 Poe was stationed at Fort Moultrie where he is promoted to artificer and has his pay doubled to $10/month. On December 11, 1827 his battery sets sail for Fort Monroe in Old Point Comfort, Virginia and arrives on December 15, 1828. Here Poe attains the rank of Regimental Sergeant-Major. Poe remained in the military until his release on April 15, 1829.

These facts are very well documented and published by multiple scholars and directly conflict with your assumptions that appear, at best, wishful thinking, best guesses, and blind acceptance of facts not evidenced by material fact. You provide no material evidence beyond your own interpretations that, themselves, are at odds with the expressed intention of Edgar Allan Poe himself. As proof, see Poe’s letter to Isaac Lea dated May11-27, 1829, in which he clarifies the intent of Al Aaraaf.

Yanni, you are certainly free and welcome to express your own interpretations of the two poems in question. However, these are merely interpretations based on supposition and to offer them as anything more demands much more convincing evidence than you are offering here. Again, I regret that you feel this view is argumentative, but if you are truly hopeful of finding an enthusiastic publisher, you will need much more proof than you are offering here.

In any case, please accept my best wishes for a Merry Christmas and a healthful and Happy New Year.

Warm Regards,

I never said that Edgar left the US for Greece onboard the "Constitution", so why waste half of your posts and most of your arguments saying I did?
(the question has already become rhetoric but I'll answer it once more)

From the start I maintained that he arrived somehow privately in Greece, possibly by Miller's "Chancellor" or by another boat and, as he writes in Al Aaraaf, visited Athens and the Parthenon, the greek isles and the coast of Asia Minor, then witnessed Navarino and propably returned to the US on board the Constitution.
You are asking me to provise "concrete evidence"-propably a receipt for money paid for his passage huh?-for what purpose exactly? To contradict what Edgar himself writes?
The mere fact that there has never-ever been an interpretation for Al Aaraaf- apart from the "astronomer Tycho Brahe observation of a supernova", in itself not an interpretation but a confession of inability to understand the poem - or The Sonnet to Zante is not evidence enough?

Bypassing yourself evidence presented re Allen's involvement in the greek frigates order, you then insist on Edgar's Baltimore presence yet "evidence" provided is slim at best : "S o m e t i m e between early March and May 26, 1827, Poe personally wrote two untitled poems in the albums of Ms. Margaret Bassett and Ms. Octavia Walton, both of Baltimore" and does not become any firmer by a poem published by his brother on October 20, 1827.
His presence then in Boston is neither established nor required by the first, much debated, publication of Tamerlane and Other Poems by Calvin F. S Thomas "sometime" in 1827.
No evidence is thus available contradicting Edgar's "greek expedition" claim !
Coming back to his presence on board the "Constitution":
The ships diary includes all ports described by Edgar in his Al Aaraaf:
The ship leaves Minorca end of February and passing by Al Aaraaf's "fair capo Ducato" and Zante in the Ionian sea enters the Aegean early March, anchors in the island of Milos-(whence sprang the "Idea of Beauty" into birth"-Venus statue discoverd there in 1820) for a month, visits shortly Napoli di Morea in April (propably to recover the body of George Townsend Washington, a relative of the first US president, killed then in the greek civil war), visits then Chio and Efessos early May, Aegina May 10th, Athens May 14-17th, Paros May 17-21th, Petsai-Tsirigo May 29-31st, then back Smyrne June 8th where it "seems to" be on a holiday stationed until the middle of November..
...while in the meantime however
October 1827 batle of Navarino (and subsequent mop up as the enemy fled south)
Ship's diary:
07 Dec 1827-Departed Tunis, Tunisia.
13 Dec 1827-Seaman Owen Sullivan died "of debility" and was buried at sea. (Also reported as having occurred on the 11th.)
31 Dec. 1827-Lieutenant George B. McCulloch died "of disease" and was buried ashore in Port Mahon, Minorca, the next day.
07 Feb 1828-Ordinary Seaman Nicholas Post died of consumption and was buried ashore in Port Mahon, Minorca.
12 Feb 1828-Seaman Joseph Williams drowned while attempting desertion; when found on 27th, body interred ashore in Port Mahon, Minorca.
01 Apr 1828-Purser John B. Timberlake died of consumption and was buried ashore in Port Mahon, Minorca.
04 Apr 1828-Seaman W. Staples died "of the effects of intoxication."
07 Apr 1828-Midshipman Henry K. Mower died.
09 Apr 1828-Midshipman J. Hoover died and was buried ashore with full honors in Port Mahon, Minorca.
29 Apr 1828-Departed Port Mahon, Minorca.
02 May 1828-Seaman Michael Flynn died and was buried at sea off Malaga, Spain.
09 May 1828-Arrived at Gibraltar.
12 May 1828-Seaman Nathaniel Carin had his right leg amputated for unspecified reasons.
13 May 1828-Seaman Nathaniel Carin died a day after having his right leg amputated.
23 May 1828-Departed Gibraltar, ending tour as Flagship, Mediterranean Squadron.
04 Jul 1828-Arrived at Boston, MA.
19 Jul 1828-captain Daniel Todd Patterson placed the ship in ordinary at Boston, MA.

"On January 1, 1829, Poe, still serving under the name of Perry, was promoted to Sergeant-Major of his regiment, the highest rank open to an enlisted man."
For his military records confirming or not his participation one would assume that a cover would be provided for Mr Perry if indeed he was acting covertly as "angelo" suggests.
There is furthermore is a highly conspicuous discrepancy in his promotion to "the highest rank open to an enlisted man" rarely awarded to someone doing simply "garrison duty two and a half years as an enlisted man at Ft. Moultrie, S. C" a poet-soldier who "....had a good deal of spare time on his hands which was evidently spent in wandering along the beaches, writing poetry, and reading. His military duties were light and wholly clerical.....",

There seems also something to be wrong in your info "December 11, 1827 his battery sets sail for Fort Monroe in Old Point Comfort, Virginia and arrives on December 15, 1828" (Where did they go for a year if not to relieve, recrew the Constitution?) but it is immaterial.

I was not able to find "Poe’s letter to Isaac Lea dated May11-27, 1829, in which he clarifies the intent of Al Aaraaf " on the web, please provide details.
Interesting that while in Baltimore(May, 1829, to the end of year) , he first contacts "William Wirt, just retired from active political life in Washington, author of "Letters of a British Spy," and a man of considerable literary reputation. Poe left with Wirt the manuscript of "Al Aaraaf" and received from him a letter of advice rather than recommendation" Edgar then "...went to Philadelphia and left the manuscript with Carey, Lea and Carey, a then famous publishing firm" who had some objections thus Edgar "...By July 28th ...wrote to Carey, Lea and Carey withdrawing the manuscript" so "..The book itself, entitled Al Aaraaf, Tamerlane and Minor Poems, was published by Hatch and Dunning in Baltimore in December, 1829".

Concluding:
 You neither have, nor do you exhibit the interest to obtain, the interpretation of Al Aaraaf and The Sonnet to Zante. The "graces of Ligeia", suggested by both Edgar and myself, have not yet been received apparently.
 However great my pleasure was to have intepreted his two specific works, my subject has never been really Edgar but the riddles of my first post above he helped me solve, so fundamental in fact that I would not at all be surprised if publishers reject their publishing.
 Afterall "les philalethes" and the "nine Muses", where Benj.Franklin, Paul Jones and possibly Thomas Jefferson were initiated by *******, are "out" eversince the "Enlightment" became just another italian word.

No hard feelings and again my best wishes

No hard feelings at all, Yanni. As a matter of course, I find nothing particularly harmful in this with the single amusing exception that you’re alleged “cover up” by Poe is so little different that the seemingly limitless conspiracies that pervade the internet and are as equitably silly as flying saucers and mysterious men behind a grassy knoll.

In the absence of anything substantive, beyond your personal interpretation of two poems from a brilliant and imaginative 19th century mind, you have suggested that Edgar Allan Poe was aboard the USS Constitution while it was serving as the flagship of the Mediterranean Squadron during the Greek Revolution. Further, you have suggested that these two poems, themselves, provide the evidence to support your conclusion. When asked to provide objective evidence, it becomes clear that the proof is based merely upon your personal interpretation of the poems when joined with disconnected and circumstantial documentation of ships logs of the USS Constitution known to be in the Mediterranean during this period.

If true, this in and of itself, would constitute a significant shift in the historical understanding of the life of one of America’s most influential authors, poets and literary critics. If true, it could further explain the man behind a brilliant mind. Consequently, you, as a hopeful author of this proposition, must be held accountable to establish the reasonableness of the proposition. You have not and then you suggest that anyone who is at odds with you is being argumentative.

In this forum, I have already confessed my lack of certification as an expert. However, as a student of Poe and one that has held his works in the highest regard for several decades now, my understanding of Poe, his works and the historical account of his life directly conflicts with your interpretations. When asked to provide more substantive evidence, you persistently repeat interpretations or offer documentation that is, at best, neutral and proves nothing.

As regards the USS Constitution, it was your own lack of clarity and failure to definitively tie Edgar Poe and Captain Jonathan P Miller in the beginning that is directly responsible for the my misinterpretation that Poe sailed on the USS Constitution.

When I offer documented historical evidence, evidence generally accepted by scholars, you simply dismiss it as evidence of a cover-up by Poe himself without explanation. You then point to some reference regarding John Allan as proof that he loaned money for the construction of frigates and is referred to as “a virtuous Quaker”. John Allan, as a wealthy merchant trader, was frequently solicited for loans and these solicitations provide no clear connection to Edgar. As to Allan being a Quaker, John Allan was raised as a Scottish Presbyterian but most indications are that he was not especially religious at all and only rarely attended church services with his wife, Frances, who regularly attended at the Monumental Episcopal Church, built in 1814, where John Allan, himself, purchased pew number 80 for $340. In fact, it is at this church that Edgar is thought to have been baptized with ‘Allan’ as his middle name by Reverend John Buchanan on January 7, 1812.

In your previous post you said...

“There seems also something to be wrong in your info "December 11, 1827 his battery sets sail for Fort Monroe in Old Point Comfort, Virginia and arrives on December 15, 1828" (Where did they go for a year if not to relieve, recrew the Constitution?) but it is immaterial.”

You are quite right, Yanni... There was an error and I regret that it was mine. I happily apologize for my own mistyping of the date December 11, 1827, for it clearly should have read, December 11, 1828. This 4 day trip from Fort Moultrie, South Carolina to Fort Monroe, Virginia is certainly very reasonable period for a trip of few hundred miles. However, it is not reasonable to presume that the United States Army’s Battery H, 1st Artillery was asked to relieved the United States Naval crew of the USS Constitution. But... you recognized this immediately and suggested it was “immaterial”. It is immaterial to anyone who wishes to dismiss as a cover up, Poe’s time in the military service because it is directly at odds with their assertion.

As regards the letter from Edgar Poe to Mr. Isaac Lea of May 11-27, 1829, it may be found on the Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore website at http://www.eapoe.org/works/letters/p2905110.htm . In this letter, Poe clearly characterizes the inspiration for Al Aaraaf as the disappearing star observed by Tycho Brahe. In this letter, Poe may be being deceptive, which he was known to do for his own benefit, but there is nothing to suggest a premeditated cover up to hide that fact that he had been aboard the USS Constitution or his prior presence in Athens or anywhere else. Who was he trying to deceive and why?

Your repeated suggestion that, perhaps, Edgar had sailed with Jonathan P Miller aboard the “Chancellor” on March 5, 1827 for Athens and other ports of call and then, at some point, ended up aboard the USS Constitution, remains unfounded. I had some difficulty finding it again but I had recalled a set of letters Edgar had exchanged with John Allan in March of 1827 referencing their personal argument over Poe’s behavior and debts. It is interesting to note the dates and from where these letter had been posted.

Edgar A. Poe to John Allan, Monday, March 19, 1827 from Richmond. (14 days after the “Chancellor” sailed)
Edgar A. Poe to John Allan, Tuesday, March 20, 1827 from Richmond. (15 days after the “Chancellor” sailed)
John Allan to Edgar A. Poe, Tuesday, March 20, 1827 in Richmond but remained un-mailed.

These three letters clearly confirm that Poe was in Richmond at least 15 days after Captain Jonathan P Miller sailed for Greece and did not sail with the “Chancellor”. All three letters are in the possession of the Valentine Museum in Richmond, Virginia and the transcriptions can be found at the Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore. Even the letter from Edward Crump to Poe dated the 25th of March, 1827 confirms the subject matter of Poe’s and John Allan’s exchange of letters.

You said:

“You neither have, nor do you exhibit the interest to obtain, the interpretation of Al Aaraaf and The Sonnet to Zante. The "graces of Ligeia", suggested by both Edgar and myself, have not yet been received apparently.”

I do have Edgar’s interpretation in his own words, which is at odds with yours. You are quite right, however, I’m not interested in yours.

You said:

“However great my pleasure was to have intepreted [sic] his two specific works, my subject has never been really Edgar but the riddles of my first post above he helped me solve, so fundamental in fact that I would not at all be surprised if publishers reject their publishing.”

In the absence of substantive evidence, I wouldn’t be surprised either.

You said:

"After all "les philalethes" and the "nine Muses", where Benj. Franklin, Paul Jones and possibly Thomas Jefferson were initiated by *******, are "out" ever since the "Enlightment" became just another italian word."

Perhaps you're right, and perhaps, among the daughters of Zeus, it is Calliope and Erato we may all miss the most.

Again, no hard feelings at all, I have enjoyed our exchange. Should you succeed in finding a publisher, and I truly wish you well, best of luck. It has been interesting. Please accept my final and...

Sincere Regards... :santasmil

"Sticking" like epoxy glue to the official line, Tis the engineer and Poe enthusiast, takes his leave to join Santa Claus while dismissing E.A.Poe's own claim (to have participated to the greek expedition) and proclaiming at the same time his uttermost disinterest on the conclusive (to the contrary of the official line) interpretation of Al Aaraaf by a "yanni the greek".
Farewell Tis my friend, see you next year and may Ligeia, the greek siren, grace you with her charms then.
"En passant" to his latest dramatic stage exit-hopefully not a "grand finale"-Tis did confess however his difficulty to comprehend another part of his hero's story and placed the obliging inquiry below.

Tis's inquiry "As regards the letter from Edgar Poe to Mr. Isaac Lea of May 11-27, 1829...In this letter, Poe clearly characterizes the inspiration for Al Aaraaf as the disappearing star observed by Tycho Brahe. In this letter, Poe may be being deceptive, which he was known to do for his own benefit, but there is nothing to suggest a premeditated cover up to hide that fact that he had been aboard the USS Constitution or his prior presence in Athens or anywhere else. [B]Who was he trying to deceive and why?"[/B]

The answer:
On his return to the US Edgar was already aware that "things" had changed: With the governemental change, the foreign policy also changed and Nic. Biddle's "National Bank" was attacked by Jackson.
(Two main parties existed then in the US, the "pros" and the "against" Britain. Edgar, with a Lafayette "enlightened french" connection, like all presidents until then, and his heroic grandfather, belonged very clearly to the "against" party.)
To Edgar's dismay the "pros" gained control. He was permanently out of favor thereafter and hence the "official" line not allowing Al Aaraaf's interpretation .
(More details can be made available if need be, particularly re Edgar's conclusive relations to Biddle and his Port-folio club.)
The poem being full of relative "messages", clever politician Wirt, another "against", advised Edgar not to publish Al Aaraaf. Our hero having spent a lot of time and effort to write the poem however, he came to the idea that by removing the last part, thus hiding Lemnos (the island's actual geographic location- on Tycho's supernova naturally(!)-and military uniqueness can be seen on the map even by the blindest of "scholars" then and now) the other "messages" would go unnoticed by Messrs Carey-Lea-Carey who he met next. They were not so dumb however and despite his plights for the "extraordinary disadvantageous circumstances" under which the poem was written (Edgar disclosing obviously his pride for his greek expedition, see quote below) and deceptive relative fairy tale on the "stary" poems contents, refused to publish it.

quote:
"I should add a circumstance which, that no justification of a failure, is yet a boast in success -- the poem is by a minor & truly written under extraordinary disadvantages."


The "Lemnos message" already prepackaged in code by Edgar.....

"Ianthe, dearest, see- how dim that ray!
How lovely 'tis to look so far away!
She seem'd not thus upon that autumn eve
I left her gorgeous halls- nor mourn'd to leave.
That eve- that eve- I should remember well-
The sun-ray dropp'd in Lemnos, with a spell
On th' arabesque carving of a gilded hall
Wherein I sate, and on the draperied wall-
And on my eyelids- O the heavy light!
How drowsily it weigh'd them into night!
On flowers, before, and mist, and love they ran
With Persian Saadi in his Gulistan:
But O that light!- I slumber'd- Death, the while,
Stole o'er my senses in that lovely isle
So softly that no single silken hair
Awoke that slept- or knew that he was there.

....will be unwrapped after New Year along with Edgar's "coded" call on Ligeia.

Merry Xmas all and thanks for your attention.

POE'S LIGEIA

PART I

Besides Ianthe, Ligeia is another greek lady's name that E.A.Poe uses. He first inserts it in his epic Al Aaraaf of 1827-8 and then in prose LIGEIA written 1837-1838 which commences as follows.

And I thought, as I gazed upon the corpse , of the wild passage in Joseph Glanvill: "The will therein lieth, which dieth not. Who knoweth the mysteries of the will, with its vigor? For God is but a great will pervading all things by nature of its intentness. Man doth not yield him to the angels, nor unto death utterly, save only through the weakness of his feeble will." She died — and I, crushed into the very dust with sorrow, could no longer endure the lonely desolation...
I CANNOT, for my soul, remember how, when, or even precisely where, I first became acquainted with the lady Ligeia. Long years have since elapsed, and my memory is feeble through much suffering. Or, perhaps, I cannot now bring these points to mind, because, in truth, the character of my beloved, her rare learning, her singular yet placid cast of beauty, and the thrilling and enthralling eloquence of her low musical language, made their way into my heart by paces so steadily and stealthily progressive that they have been unnoticed and unknown.

Who was Ligeia?
Let's first examine the lady's mythological and etymological aspect:
In ancient greek times Ligeia, the daughter of river Acheloos and a Muse, was a naiad (water nymph) and a siren with a handicap: While the voices of all her other sister-sirens were so pleasant as to make mortals loose their sense of time and orientation, her voice was shrilly, earpiercing, she was hence considered an outcast then.
The sirens died along with ancient Greece but fortunately the greek language did not and so carried within to the present time part of the ancient mythos including Ligeia. Time has been kind apparently and so modern greek Ligeia's voice has mellowed. She is furthermore known to use it today, very convincingly, to persuade the mortals to yield, to bend their egoism and backbone, to succumb to "God's" superior will and power.
Hence the modern greek adjectives "Lygeros, lygere", depicting he or she who is slender and flexible and "lygo" (gamma, omega) or "lygiso", verbs meaning to bend (active) or being bend (passive) ie to yield, give-in or surrender to a greater force.
The name itself is often written today with an y-grk L Y G E I A.
So there are two Ligeias to choose from.

Which of the two Ligeias was Edgar thinking of when writing Al Aaraaf?Edgar selects to place Angelo's call to Ligeia before the battle of Navarino (the "thousand Seraphs" passage already interpreted) as follows:

Some have left the cool glade, and have slept with the bee-
Arouse them, my maiden, On moorland and lea-
Go! breathe on their slumber, All softly in ear,
Thy musical number They slumbered to hear
For what can awaken An angel so soon,
Whose sleep hath been taken Beneath the cold moon,
As the spell which no slumber Of witchery may test,
The rhythmical number Which lull'd him to rest?"

and continues:

Spirits in wing, and angels to the view,
A thousand seraphs burst th' Empyrean thro'

The "soft breathing" quality he gives to her voice and the role he assigns to her (to persuade the weaker of the two sides to give-in to the stronger before the battle) are already clear indications that it is the modern greek siren he speaks about. As if these were not enough however, later on in his life he further relates his Ligeia to the specific "wild" passage from Joseph Glanvill above. (A different LIGEIA is in his mind then again but we'll come to that later on).
He makes thus very evident that the modern greek Ligeia with the soft voice and the bending powers was in his mind when Al Aaraaf was written.
Al Aaraaf's Ligeia is the modern greek siren, very much alive and fully enpowered then to act as an intermediary. Angelo-Edgar calls her repeatedly to "do her thing". She apparently fails to do so, thus he is obliged himself to warn Nesace-Ianthe but in vain as the spell cast upon her in "Lemnos" is stronger.
Whereas any two odd modern greek words could normally be defined as mere indications of the debated presence of an american in Greece then, the use he makes in Al Aaraaf of "Ligeia" and "Nesace", two "difficult" modern greek words, his deep knowledge, precise use and later particular definition of his LIGEIA, is evidence indeed that Edgar learned these two words very clearly in situ, not through his limited tuition in ancient greek or his non existant "leisurly barrack" service in the US army .

end of Part I

Do Al Aaraaf's contents confirm and describe exactly the events taking placing in Greece during his visit?
Let's take first a brief glance at the greek situation during years 1826-27:
Greece's revolt of 1821 was instigated to counter Britain's alliance with the Sultan. The greek revolutionaries were soon divided , pro and against Britain (same as in the US at the time) and a civil war was fought as from 1823 simultaneously to the revolutionary war. In 1826 the "against" were negotiating a peace treaty with the progressive albanian ruler of Egypt Mehmet Ali whose forces, led by his son Ibrahim, had taken Morea and Missolonghi and were in control of most of "Greece" then with few exceptions. Egypt was aided by many enligthened royalist french-like Lafayette, himself aided by the US in 1824- who were against the jacobine french revolution,its product, Napoleon, and the puppet government that replaced him. Thus the fight was not really against "Greece to be" but resistance to the british conquest of the Levant.
Those same greeks who had started and fought for the revolution had already made their choice: By maintaining good relations with Egypt and negotiating next another peace treaty with the Sultan, they thought they could maintain their food sources and continue trading grain with both Egypt and the Black Sea, their traditional trading partners.
Edgar's "four bright suns" however had other plans('Twas a sweet time for Nesace- for there Her world lay lolling on the golden air, Near four bright suns- a temporary rest-An oasis in desert of the blest. Of the four bright suns only England, France and Russia have recognised historicaly their Navarino role, one "sun" is therefore missing! See further "Thy will is done, O God! The star hath ridden high Thro' many a tempest, but she rode Beneath thy burning eye " The star who rode so high as to get too close to the "burning eye" is Zante- Ianthe- Greece. For the "Star" and the "burning eye" see the end.)
Tzar Alexander of Russia, who had witnessed as a child the murder of his father through THE conspiracy at the turn of the century, was a weak Tzar controlled more or less by the brits and in constant fear of a revolution against him.
The joint fleets of Alexander's Russia, "puppet" France, Britain (and obvioulsy the USA-only Edgar and the ship's log document their participation as the Monroe Doctrine did not provide for "international intervention") destroyed the Egyptian fleet at Navarino.
Greece did not immediately become a british protectorate. Governor Capodistria, appointed shortly after Navarino, also maintained an "against" policy and was therefore murdered in 1831.
Coming back to Edgar:
He told us already that he "lived through" modern greek Ligeia, he learned the word from greeks, that he witnessed and discussed all their stress and agony, then in their 6th year of their revolt against the Sultan, in their 4th of the civil war, facing then in addition to all that, the fleets of the joined "suns".He confessed furthermore that he himself, "Angelo", had been long slumbered by Nesace's witchery, obviously not as strong as the "spell" cast against her in "Lemnos" as below:

"Ianthe, dearest, see- how dim that ray!
How lovely 'tis to look so far away!
She seem'd not thus upon that autumn eve
I left her gorgeous halls- nor mourn'd to leave.
That eve- that eve- I should remember well-
The sun-ray dropp'd in Lemnos, with a spell
On th' arabesque carving of a gilded hall
Wherein I sate, and on the draperied wall-
And on my eyelids- O the heavy light!
How drowsily it weigh'd them into night!
On flowers, before, and mist, and love they ran
With Persian Saadi in his Gulistan:
But O that light!- I slumber'd- Death, the while,
Stole o'er my senses in that lovely isle
So softly that no single silken hair
Awoke that slept- or knew that he was there.

After Ligeia's failure, he himself, Angelo, attempts to persuade his endangered beloved, yet then unfaithfull (On flowers, before, and mist, and love they ran, With Persian Saadi in his Gulistan) Ianthe-Zante before the battle, to give in to the superior strength before her but that she would not listen.
He calls her a beautifull but stubborn and unfaithfull witch, says he was not sorry for their separation, that he was in fact ever so gentle and discreet, like a ghost perhaps or something similar but......

"We came- and to thy Earth- but not to us
Be given our lady's bidding to discuss:
We came, my love; around, above, below,
Gay fire-fly of the night we come and go,
Nor ask a reason save the angel-nod
She grants to us, as granted by her God-
But, Angelo, than thine grey Time unfurl'd
Never his fairy wing O'er fairier world!
Dim was its little disk, and angel eyes
Alone could see the phantom in the skies,
When first Al Aaraaf knew her course to be
Headlong thitherward o'er the starry sea-
But when its glory swell'd upon the sky,
As glowing Beauty's bust beneath man's eye,
We paused before the heritage of men,
And thy star trembled- as doth Beauty then!"
Thus, in discourse, the lovers whiled away
The night that waned and waned and brought no day.
They fell: for Heaven to them no hope imparts
Who hear not for the beating of their hearts.

aaaah, Angelo, you can't have it both ways, you cannot be sarcastic to those who hear the beating of their hearts and call yourself a poet ....shame on you!

Anyway, the answer to the question above is Yes, they do.

End of Part II

Does his correspondence, before and after, confirm his greek expedition and explain his exact role?
Reading through his correspondence with his foster father, one sees that Edgar declares himself insulted after hearing Allen calling him names so he leaves the Allens on March 18th, 1827 determined to: .....place myself [in] some situation where I may not only o[bt]ain a livelihood....indeavor to find some place in this wide world, where I will be treated — not as you have treated me — This is not a hurried determination, but one on which I have long considered — and having so considered my resolution is unalterable" He suggests Allen complies to his demands or else"....If you fail to comply with my request, I tremble for the consequence". but is totaly broke and starving "I am in the greatest necessity, not having tasted food since Yesterday morning. I have no where to sleep at night, but roam about the Streets — I am nearly exhausted— I sail on Saturday —I have not one cent in the world to provide any food".
We have thus a determined young man who has long prepared his departure, as he says, knows propably where he is going, does not care to take with him the necessary means and is burdened by a complaining stomach . Allen may have or have not helped him. He then disappears and, in the long interval until he sets foot on land again, Edgar is registered only once simply as "enlisted under the name Edgar A. Perry May 26, 1827" The source does not disclose place of enlistment.
Until his next letter to Allen from Fort Moultrie, Charleston harbor, December 1st 1828, 18 months elapse, he is nowhere to be seen, total vacuum, no records, no letters, nothing at all to document his "long considered determination", his overflowing energy, his enthusiasm, his presence anywhere.

Assuming the passage from the East Coast to the Aegean Sea to last between four to six weeks, Edgar reached Athens somehow privately when the Constitution was there as well, ie May 1827, enlisted then and there (The last spot of Earth's orb I trod upon Was a proud temple call'd the Parthenon-he finds himself in a totally different world next) for a five year term) and undertook his "unknown diplomatic" duties, possibly as translator (french-english, hence perhaps his greek friends) and a double agent as well (" we came.... below").
Because it is a very different Edgar indeed who writes to Allen, December 1st, 1828, upon his return:
"But, at no period of my life, have I regarded myself with a deeper satisfaction -- or did my heart swell with more honourable pride -- The time may come (if at all it will come speedily) when much that appears of a doubtful nature will be explained away, and I shall have no hesitation in appearing among my former connexions -- at the present I have no such intention, and nothing, short of your absolute commands, should deter me from my purpose. "
Allen, mumbling "he had better remain as he is until the termination of his enlistment.", appears to have long lost hope in his adoptee, propably just another investment for him.
A month later, (Jan. 1) signor Edgar Perry is promoted to Sergeant-Major of his regiment, "the highest rank open to an enlisted man".Yet Edgar has higher expectations, wants out, purchases a substitute, is released April 15, 1829, moves to Baltimore in May (7 or 8), manages to have his butchered Al Aaraaf printed by Hatch and Dunning in December, horses around a while, leaves Baltimore for the West Point June 1830 and, less than a year later , for some reason or other, reabandons his military career, leaves New York and returns to Baltimore before May 6, 1831, ready to leave the States for ever and either join Lafayette or the polish army.
Is it idealism that leads his merrygoround or does his heart attempt to fill his wallet's vacuum?
Propably the last as his previous involvement in the ++ game at Navarino shows: After leaving Ianthe to her fate and having survived the battle (I slumber'd- Death) he is being sarcastic, declares very proud for the role he played, for his "Dim... little disk, and angel eyes" and is set to benefit from his experience as well. A split personality that is not trusted by either side. How he must have envied his Ianthe!

Answer: His "greek expedition" participation is evident and reconfirmed by his promotion. His role in Greece "dim", his "angel eyes" bifocal.

End of Part III (one more to follow sometime later).

PART IV

How does Ianthe further relate to Ligeia?
Edgar learned, months later, of the 1835 murder of the man's wife in Zante and there is no evidence as to how he learned it. There are however many indications: .
The Constitution visited Corfu, the seat of the british governor of the Ionian isles, July 30th, 1836. The ship returned home in 1838, thus Edgar propably received a letter regarding the event sometime October 1836. He was married shortly before and had already written his "Marriage vow". Towards the end of the year Whitte reacts to his sudden change of behaviour for the worse, the Sonnet is published in January, Edgar is then dismissed from the Messenger and moves from Richmond.
Whereas his "Vow" is an obvious selfish expression of his communication difficulties with his young wife and also a "product of the mind", his Sonnet is-finally-passionate, a sigh from a broken heart. He is not crying for Zante the isle but Ianthe, the woman-flower that died. He is therefore lying again but his passion is sincere. The Sonnet IS a poem.
He tries to recover, never mentions Ianthe-Zante again but...he remains "stuck" with a murder that troubles his conscience:
He spends a lot of time remembering, writing and tearing paper and remorse and, when quoting twenty months later Clanvill, it is Ligeia, the corpse attempting a ressurection, that replaces and symbolises his murdered Ianthe of the Sonnet, the lovely wife of his "friend" who, by not yielding to the "superior" powers, was paid back through his wife's and brother's murder by the "clan" who next took over "Zante"-Greece. (Secretly changing sides after 1831, they were supported by the brits who dissolved the Ionian Parliament in 1835 at the time of the murder and established next an autocratic banana- protectorate. They all killed "Zante" and Edgar knew).
Ligeia, the blackhaired siren, the corpse with the earpiercing voice, reappeared in the Baltimore American Museum, September 18, 1838.

What happened to our heroes next?
The woman:Nothing is known of the name and origins of the murdered Ianthe. We do know that she was so brave as to have followed and stayed with her man to a most remote, strange and dangerous place. Her presence in Zante and the murder itself have been crosschecked. Some daugthers have been registered in saved correspondence one of which became possibly an opera singer .

The man, Edgar's friend, was an exceptionaly well educated, multi talented and versatile person. He spoke modern and ancient languages and resembled in so many ways the mysterious San Germain (four aliases discovered already) one can easily qualify him as the next "San Germain". They were afterall related.
A top ranking diplomat of the greek revolutionary government from 1822 to 1826, his whereabouts from July 1826 to September 1827 are unknown. His lifelong best friend however, a frenchman, was Ibrahim's aide de camp at Navarino, an indication that he was also close by.
When his wife was killed he was seen, late 1835, in London. wearing mourning black clothes. When asked, he replied: Signor M****, non posso piangere, ma mia moglie e morte, e inutile di piangere. He left London shortly after.
He totally allienated himself from Modern Greece after the murder, lived in wealth and died in peace at the age of 80 in the country of his choice. His biography, partly compiled with info supplied by select relevant authorities, has been deposited to same since August 2005. If ever published it will be, like the present, part of a larger book.

Edgar, who had propably learned of the man's family and role both from books at Jefferson' s University as well as from his foster father, died broke and broken but he had his dream fulfilled. He did become a poet afterall.

Allen lived long enough to supervise the sabotaged "frigates order" turn into a joke: From about five ordered only one arrived much later when it was no more needed.. No penalties were ever paid as Alex Contostavlos, the greek negotiator, was heavily bribed by Allen's friends.

The murderer, a famous poet himself and with a most flexible spine as well (until the murder was carrried out on his orders) ceased writing thereafter, locked himself in and died an alcoholic early 1857.
He was fingerpointed for his role in the murder in two letters published in Athens 1999 and 2000, the second by a major newspaper on day 1821 is celebrated. Silence followed eversince.

San Germain's biography was easy to compile when his true identity was discovered earlier this year: Apart from his "secret" role as war minister of the Bourbons 1771-1779, he was a famous enlightened-he gave the "light" to the word- man of the 18th century and, but for his origins, diplomatic and ministerial duties and relative friends worldwide, his biography was already written as a half truth! The other half was possibly considered of "limited publication interest" as it concerned, mostly and fundamentaly, the creation of modern Greece, democratic France and the USA. The "halfbiographer" is since considered a top "gens de lettres" in France

The star of Tycho Brache was taken, when it appeared, as a sign for the battle of Lepanto(1571) that determined the fate of the "West" then. As the true heroes of our story as well as Don Quixote, Edgar's favorite, relate to this battle, it is relevant. The star itself disappeared soon after and Tycho then disputed Galileo's truth along with a catholic priest who had a brother who called him stupid however and became himself a famous astronomer. His descendends are relevant to this story as well.

The other star, the pentagon symbol used extensively by our Edgar and his great country, has nothing to do with Tycho's or any of the others claiming proprietory rights. It has everything to do with the comet of 1652-53 that was "patented" soon after in Florence. It is this star that appears on the Great Seal together with the "eye" on the pyramid and all other "mystery" symbols.

Edgar's Not long the measure of my falling hours, For nearest of all stars was thine to ours must always precede any serious meditation on history, literature and opera buffa.

Written to the memory of "Yanni the greek" by his co-kin.
Athens, Dec 29th 2005.

There seems to be a prophetic element in Poe as well:

She ceas'd- and buried then her burning cheek
Abash'd, amid the lilies there, to seek
A shelter from the fervor of His eye;
For the stars trembled at the Deity.
She stirr'd not- breath'd not- for a voice was there
How solemnly pervading the calm air!
A sound of silence on the startled ear
Which dreamy poets name "the music of the sphere."
Ours is a world of words: Quiet we call
"Silence"- which is the merest word of all.

Happy New Year all.

Reading through "favorite poem of the week" I reread Edgar's Anabelle Lee and realised he is still talking of Ianthe in 1849.
The identity of the dark haired bright greek maiden who enchanted Edgar is now known but needs doublechecking(Her name and description are on the web, her biography is not, like all other 'heroes" of this story.)
Whatever is found will be disclosed when this thread is moved to E.A.Poe's "section" or the views reach 3000, whichever comes sooner.

Edgar confirms all the above and further reveals his double acting role in "The Visionary" where he describes in the person of the allmighty mystery man the original San Germain to the most minute detail. ALL characteristics given fit San Germain like a glove.

Thus Edgar discloses to the now enlightened silent reader:

a) That he knew both the true identities of San Germain and his successor as well as their relationship.
b) Our hero's political role until then and the difficult position he was in at the time (1833) as he is really cornered then by his opponents, the "probritish" party..
c) Edgar himself was acting as a double agent and, in close contact with "London", participated in a plot to take out or neutralise the man by murdering his child or wife or both.The plot is then in its final planning stage.

The change of title is also quite indicatory:

He selects "The Visionary" before the deed when the plot is in the planning stage and chenges it later (post mortem) to "The Assignation", revealing thus the assasination as well as Edgar's relative role (assignment).

Edgar traded in his famous grandfather for a place under the (new) sun.....BUT.......

" Ha! ha! ha! — ha! ha! ha!.....
But pardon me, my dear sir, (here his tone of voice dropped to the very spirit of cordiality,) pardon me, my dear sir, for my uncharitable laughter. You appeared so utterly astonished. Besides, some things are so completely ludicrous that a man must laugh or die. To die laughing must be the most glorious of all glorious deaths!"


("The Visionary," later called "The Assignation," was first published in Godey's Lady's Book in January, 1834. Subsequent publication history: On August 7, 1835, "The Visionary" appeared in the Southern Literary Messenger. Later, in July of 1839, Poe's poem, "To Ianthe in Heaven," excerpted from "The Visionary," was reprinted in Burton's in Philadelphia. Bentley's Miscellany also reprinted " The Visionary" in December of 1840 without acknowledgement. On June 7, 1845, Poe's revised tale "The Assignation," was reprinted in the Broadway Journal. The revisions made to the "The Assignation" were progressive improvements.)

Did Edgar Allan Poe hide a secret message in his tale The Gold Bug?

Is the plaintext of the tale actually housing a secret message itself?

I think so.....a message of hidden wealth.

Write me at:

[email protected]

Legrand

I don't really know and cryptography does not agree with me. Anyway Edgar died broke.

....is to blame for all this.

(This is a riddle for the really serious researcher. The one who finds what the message is, will receive a piece of turkish delight for reward)

What if Concino was not just shooting blanks?

Ha! ha! ha! — ha! ha! ha!.....
But pardon me, my dear sir, (here his tone of voice dropped to the very spirit of cordiality,) pardon me, my dear sir, for my uncharitable laughter. You appeared so utterly astonished. Besides, some things are so completely ludicrous that a man must laugh or die. To die laughing must be the most glorious of all glorious deaths!"

Concino's role in world history has been grossly underrated.
He is central in our story, however strange it may appear.

Recap:
It is concluded that Edgar was a double agent. His participation in a plot to neutralize Giovanni or Jean d'Anastasy, the collector of antiques and papyri also known as d'Athanasy or "Yanni" (see the web or ask for more details here) is evident and, after intepreting of The Visionary as well, it is quite possible Edgar's surname was not even "Poe" to begin with:
-His birthdate and family details are too obscure for a general's grandson, he was given an identity and was send to the Levant as Poe so that doors would be opened to him as they did.
-In London previously he was known as Edgar Allen all along and in the army he used the Perry name for other similar reasons (his role while at Jefferson's college).
-His foster father Allen's business dealings regarding the sabotaged greek frigates order (1823-1830) should really be further investigated by researchers in corresponding US archives.

Concern is expressed hereby that there has really been no response for the first ever interpretation of Edgar's Al Aaraaf, Sonnet to Zante, LIGEIA and The Visionary-Assignation as above or furthemore for statements made concerning the star symbol and its origins.

Re Concino's usolved riddle: Yanni's prize will be placed in the freezer for future generations.

See you all there.

A friend asked me two relevant questions:

Answering your two basic questions partly with quotes form Al Aaraaf:

"Do you think Franklin could have been involved in the Diamond Necklace Affair during his exploits in France (based on your timeline)?"
'Nor long the measure of my falling hours,For nearest of all stars was thine to ours-'

-The timeline supplied shows Franklin left Europe shortly after the attempt against the life of his friend Saint Germain. Also, some days before or after his departure, Les Philalethes refused to recognize Cagliostro's masonry, ie french enlightened royalists were still strong then although the jewels were already gone. The tides turned in favour of the probrit side (which included Weishaupt and Cagliostro) early 1786 AFTER the theft at Saint Germain's lodgings which included possibly the archives of The Nine Muses and Les Philalethes (both controlled until then by the ageing Sain Germain).
In short I don't think Franklin was involved in the "affaire" but his departure was propably hurried because of the events.

"Do we know where Edgar came from then?"
'Dread star! that came, amid a night of mirth,A red Daedalion on the timid Earth.'

If you read the Announcement you'll notice that a certain "George Townsend Washington" is mentioned in the itinerary of The Constitution:
"....to recover the body of George Townsend Washington, a relative of the first US president, killed then in the greek civil war), visits then Chio and Efessos early May, Aegina May 10th, Athens May 14-17th, Paros May 17-21th, Petsai-Tsirigo May 29-31st, then back Smyrne June 8th where it "seems to" be on a holiday stationed until the middle of November.."

You'll notice perhaps, as I did yesterday thanks to our communication, that the time relates very closely to the "enlistment" date of private Edgar Allen Perry to the US army. I assumed until now that Edgar used the name "Poe" to gain access to the profrench side then. I was wrong: Nobody knew "Poe" in Greece but everybody knew "Washington" then, so if a double agent wanted to impress "Washington" would be the proper name to use.

Checked the greek encyclopedia ("Helios") this morning: G.T.W. is registered as "the president's nephew" arriving to Greece in 1825, complaining to the provisional government -when they apply to the Brits late 1825 for protection-and is killed as above in Napoli di Morea.

A year or so ago I had searched the web for the name G.T.W but did not find anything at all.I assume that if a nephew of the US president had really died in Greece then, he would be commemorated from both sides until today. Well, he is not!

Concluding:

Edgar Allen Poe , US double agent working for "the brits", arrived as George Townsend Washington in The Levant, spent his time between Zante-Venice and Livorno (1825-1826) princely but when the man, whose guest he was, took his family and fled Zante, Edgar boarded the USS Constitution. There never was a real "George Townsend Washington nephew" in Greece and he never died here either. .

If you feel up to it go ahead and look for GTW on your own and let me know. From my side I'll have to correct the "Announcement" accordingly, cause the last thing I want is to be taken for the fool I really am.

Funny isn't it?

http://www.helleniccomserve.com/gree...ependence.html

Brilliant Yanni!!!

Legrand

Mr George Chryssis, a prominent (see *below) american from the island of Crete, is the only "authority" on the subject and part of what he has written "American Philhellenes and the Greek War for Independence" can be seen at http://www.helleniccomserve.com/gree...ependence.html

I say "part" because, apart from exctracts A and B below.....

A: "Leading the fundraising efforts in Baltimore was Charles Carroll, of Carrollton, a signatory of the Declaration of Independence, and in Philadelphia the leader was Mathew Carey."

B: "Other American philhellenes who went to Greece to offer their services during the Revolution were George Wilson of Providence, Rhode Island, who excelled in bravery during the naval battle at Nafpaktos; James Williams, an African American from Baltimore who joined the Greek Navy forces; Estwick Evans from New Hampshire, who left behind his wife and children in order to fight the Greek War for Independence; captain JOHN M. ALLEN and WILLIAM TOWNSEND WASHINGTON Washington, a distant relative of president George Washington, who despite his erratic personal behavior and colorful life-style he was fearless and brave and fell heroically fighting in the battle of Palamidi."

....Mr Chryssis, in an ealrier version of his study (to be found at the site of a Mr Fotios Basagiannis who has copied him verbatim but did not then edit the original text of Mr Chryssis, the following text "C" is also to be found:

C: "....W.T. Washington. (The last had fallen in love with Rosa Botsari, the daughter of Markos Botsaris (great revolution hero) , but she was killed in a battle in Nafplion."

Possibly Mr Chryssis has withdrawn the paragraph above because "she" was not killed in Nafplion(in fact she died in 1875) but he- as per myth- was. She, on the other hand, could not have been the "amour" of Mr "Washington"(The daughter of Marco Botsaris, Catherine or Rosa, was born in 1818 and, was only 9 years old in 1827) and furthermore she was then captive of a turkish Pasha. There are thus two mistakes in the text and Mr Chryssis did well do withdraw it but still many questions arise:

1.If Rosa was not the fair maiden of Mr "Washington-Poe" then who was?
and
2.Who supplied the wrong info in the first place and why?
and
3.Who was captain John M. Allen if not the "virtuous quaker" of the Announcement, ie Mr "Poe-Washington"'s father?
and
4.With all these scholars flying around how did Mr William Townsend Washington on arrival to Greece become George T. W.?
and
5. What does Mr Chryssis mean by the "erratic personal behavior and colorful life-style" of Mr "Washington"?
and
6. Is this Mr Mathew Carey the same perhaps as the the Mathew Carey-printer friend of General Lafayette as well as Mr Edgar Allen Poe? (see http://www.eapoe.org/works/criticsm/slm36021.htm#Martin and other texts relating the two men)

There are other questions concerning the role of other american philhellenes as well, but these suffice for now.

Perhaps Mr Chryssis would care to comment?

*George C. Chryssis is a successful entrepreneur, philanthropist, civic activist, poet and author. He is a past supreme President of the Pancretan Association of America, a member of AHEPA, an Archon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, a member of the Greek Archdiocese of America Leadership 100, former Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Hellenic College, and Trustee of Northeastern University and Wentworth Institute of Technology. He is a founder and a former publisher of "The Hellenic Voice", a national newspaper serving the Greek American community. George, has written and published several literary essays, technical articles, editorials and commentaries, as well as four poetry books (in both Greek and English), and an internationally acclaimed and highly recognized technical book in English (with a Chinese translation). For his contributions, activities and accomplishments, he has received numerous awards, citations and recognitions. He lives and works in Boston, Massachusetts.)

While waiting for Mr Chryssis to tell us all about the "Tampico" captain John M.Allen, a little correction is necessary for the memory of dear Edgar.

Following info on Mr George Townsend Washington was found in "The History of Modern Greece" by Tasos Vournas, Tolidis editions, 1974. Athens, Greece .

-"Evidence" of GTW's death at Nafplion "towards the end of the revolution" is his name among others of dead philellhenes on a commemorative column placed in the catholic church of Nafplion by french colonel Hilarion Tourret (page 94). In page 95 reference is made to the frigates order scandal attributed to the "capitalist forces" that had taken control of the US then.
-After prince Mavrogordatos and his probrit party signed the petition to the British throne requesting protection, thus making Greece a protectorate, french general Ross and GTW, "american philellhene", filed to the provisional greek governement a written complaint dated 24th July 1825 (page 158) Furhtermore and according to greek historian P.Chiotis, GTW handed over to the government another complaint a few days later revealing that the "protection" petition was first written in italian in Corfu and was then translated to greek in the island of Hydra and ended the complaint with the statement that he had not come to fight in Greece so that the country next became a british colony and that, because of this protection petition, he would be leaving the country (page 159).

It's noteworthy that on June 1825 Giovanni d'Anastasy (GTW's host and friend) was on a secret mission in Montenegro calling the Serbs to revolt against the Sultan whereas Stratford Canning, british embassador in Constantinople, met Mavrogordatos in Ermioni, on Morea mainland opposite Hydra, thus the protection petition next.

Above info necessitates the correction of previous statement made concerning Edgar's role as a double agent "working for the brits". In 1825 he was not at all a double agent but an ardent american patriot considering british imperialism as "the enemy". He was apparently forced later on to conform to the US policy change that took place between 1825 and Navarino.

It is concluded furthermore that after July 1825 Edgar returns to Zante as guest of d'Anastasy and travels next to Venice, stays in Giovanni's family palazzo where he sees "Saint Germain's" art and antique collection as per The Visionary. .

Who cannot like Edgar anyway?

RECAP

Apologising to the "silent viewer" for the misunderstanding on Edgar's "greek role" and "patriotism", I point out that from the early beginning of The Announcement it was made clear that any "Poe expertise" was limited to the interpetation of the specific two poems, that became possible through a series of coincidences and that Edgar was not the object of the research anyway:.

As stated in post Nr 1, between the decoding first of the Sonnet and, five years later, of Al Aaraaf, following "classic" riddles, all interrelated and very relevant, were encountered and finally solved:
-D'Anastasy, the "armenian" alchemy papyri collector, consul(1826-?) of Sweden and Norway to Egypt
-Cagliostro -Balsamo and "his" Rite of Mizraim
- Comte de San Germain, minister of war of Luis XV and XVI (1771-1779)
- The designer of the great seal of the USA, a friend and advisor of Ben.Franklin.
-The affair of the queen's necklace (1784-1785) that brought about the french revolution (1789-1790)
-The Stuart jewels "discovered" by Walter Scott in 1818. "

It is also stated in same post that " The Sonnet refers indeed to the death of young woman, wife of a man Poe had to contact during his diplomatic mission to the Levant early 1827. They greatly impressed Poe and hence, when he learned of the 1835 murder that included both her and other members of the man's family, his world totally collapsed".
In other posts down the line it was made clear that the "man" was "riddle" D'Anastasy as above, also known as Yanni and that his biography outline reveals a very complex personality, that he was also known by other aliases as well and that he was related to Saint Germain, war minister of France about 1771-1779 (The exact period and duration of SG's ministerial service is still kept a secret by french authorities, just like his identity, for reasons known to the undersigned).
Yanni in fact was then labeled "the next Saint Germain": Research revealed not only that they were both from the same family but also that Yanni had in his possesion until 1828 "magical" papyri used possibly by Saint Germain and certainly by Cagliostro-Balsamo before his capture and imprisonment in Rome. (Known as PGMxii 474-95 and PDMxii 135-64, they are to be found at the National Museum of antiquities at Leiden Holland and have been the subject of long discussions concerning the presence or not of prophet Abraham in Egypt. Problem is that the holy man's name is followed in the papyri by the name "Walsamo", ie Balsamo written as the name is pronounced in the greek language, propably by Mr Cagliostro himself).
If, in addition to the above, Yanni's hydrian family protagonist role to the greek war for independence is taken into account (archivial research study by the undersigned twice published in Athens, 1998) together with the fact that Yanni was host and science partner of Champollion (Montenegro early 1826, Alexandria and Gourna, Egypt, 1828) and if Ben.Franlin's "unknown" relations to Saint Germain-war minister of France are also added to the equation, the conclusion is reached that Yanni was the ideal only host for the young ambitious "profrench" american poet who came to Greece to join in the war for independence, a kind of small advance repayment for the great IOU due to Saint Germain by the american "fathers of nation" for his role in the war for the american independence.
It is also highly possible that Edgar played the role of "quarantee" for the fulfillment of the contractual obligations on behalf of the frigate suppliers as the custom then was in the East.
Considering Yanni's own role as "master of disguise" it is assumed that the "Washington" name was selected with his approval so that the presence of the first US president own kin would make the revolutionaries feel more safe.

When stating as above therefore that decoding the poems happened "through a series of coincidences", it is a great understatement to say the least, therefore any further reference to "other riddles solved" is indeed superfluous and certainly "too big to handle" for the ordinary reader.
Let us therefore next concentrate on Edgar:

His affection to "alchemy" was the second indication, after the Sonnet, of a direct link to d'Anastasy and his family, thus Al Aaraaf was seriously studied, the Constitution's itinerary was then reconstructed from info at the relevant site (the way it is presented there is mind breaking), the poem was thus fully interpreted and it was then certain that poet Edgar was in Greece and that Al Aaraaf together with The Sonnet speak of his role there, his friendship with Yanni, his infatuation with Yanni's later murdered wife (Correspondence with a british expert on the subject revealed that the death of d'Anastasy's wife happened late spring of 1835) or possibly one of his daughters (he makes reference in another poem- possibly Anna Lee-of the elders of her clan not approving their marriage).
The Vow, the Sonnet, The Visionary-Assignation and Annabel Lee all reveal clearly Edgar leaving his heart in Greece and bringing home his everempty wallet along with the first indications of his schizoid problem.
(to be continued in next)

RECAP (continued)

Let's reexamine his words, shortly after his return from Greece, to Allen, December 1st, 1828:

"But, at no period of my life, have I regarded myself with a deeper satisfaction -- or did my heart swell with more honourable pride -- The time may come (if at all it will come speedily) when much that appears of a doubtful nature will be explained away, and I shall have no hesitation in appearing among my former connexions -- at the present I have no such intention, and nothing, short of your absolute commands, should deter me from my purpose. "

The "enlightened royalist french", the "Lafayette" side, his side until then, has lost the fight in Navarino along with Mehmet Ali's son who returned to Egypt, tail between legs. His host D'Anastasy (already consul in Alexandria July 1826) commences-Dec 1828- to sell his first greek and egyptian papyri to Leyden, Holland.
May 1827 Edgar boards the Constitution and, October 1827 witnesses the battle, yet declares to his foster(?) father that he is more than ever "....with a deeper satisfaction -- or did my heart swell with more honourable pride".
It has been stated that back in 1825 Edgar was an ardent american patriot as the complaints filed by George or William Townsend Washington suggest and this is later-on confirmed also by his 1831 declaration of intent to join Lafayette preparing his July revolution or the polish army!
On his return Edgar also believes that his recognition " If at all it will come speedily" and thus reveals he is aware then of the political struggle the result of which would either make or break a profrench poet.
He thinks apparently that Navarino was just another phase in the struggle between "royal" France and Britain, continues to place his bet on the former and is unble to comprehend that his "France" had already dissappeared after the battle. Allen, on the other hand, is more shrewed, belongs to the club that "fixed" the delayed and limited delivery of the frigates, he knows the IOU will never be repaid and looses hope for Edgar then and there.
Edgar then proceeds to publish his elaborate Al Aaraaf and approaches in Baltimore, May 1829, firstly William Wirt who was "just retired from active political life in Washington, author of 'Letters of a British Spy' and a man of considerable literary reputation. Poe left with Wirt(obviously a profrench politician) the manuscript of 'Al Aaraaf' and received from him a letter of advice rather than recommendation".
After Wirt's refusal Edgar approaches next the leader of the Baltimore philellhenes and friend of general Lafayette Mathew Carey who has become by then "Carey, Lea and Carey, a famous publishing firm". They also reject his work but Edgar insists, cuts bits off the original text of Al Aaaraf, modifies possibly others and finally "Al Aaraaf, Tamerlane and Minor Poems" is published by Hatch and Dunning in Baltimore in December, 1829.
The "political message" of the existing text of Al Aaraaf is of course neutral at best but it is quite clear that Edgar is being sarcastic to everybody including his Nesace-Ianthe, her family (run away with persian Saadi in his Gullistan) and his compatriots as well (the breath of science dimms the mirror of our joy):
Edgar thus tells us he made a big mess in his political role in the Levant and has also revealed to the officers of the Constitution his previous "greek" contacts. He uses his "other self" to find relief from his conscience and his top priority appears to be to become, at all cost, a recognised man of letters in the US. Politics interest him superficialy only and propably considers the subject beyond him. Allen's "inheritance" is his basic psychic security, absolution, last heaven.
Soon after however he reaches the "age of reason" firstly when Allen remarries, has male hires and disinherits him and secondly when Ianthe or Ianthe's mother is murdered in Zante in 1835 after the plot, in which Edgar was personaly involved or at least informed about(The Visionary-Assignation) materialises.
Edgar looses for ever hope marrying Ianthe(as Yanni's daughter he believes she is very rich still) when he learns the Zante news, sometime late 1835-early 1836. He next marries and soon after writes his controversial and perplexing "Marriage vow" indicating deep psychic problem already. He becomes unstable soon after and, towards the end of 1836, Whitte notices it and reacts. Edgar makes sure the Sonnet is published in January, is then dismissed from the Messenger and moves away from Richmond.
He tries to recover next, never mentions Ianthe-Zante again but the murder troubles his conscience. He spends time remembering, writing and tearing paper and remorse and, when quoting twenty months later Clanvill, Ligeia the corpse attempting a ressurection replaces and symbolises the murdered Ianthe of the Sonnet, the lovely wife or daughter of his "friend" who, by not yielding to the "superior powers" and paying the price, crossed for ever Edgar out from his small list of "real friends".
Yannis relations to Angelica Palli, the greek poetress living in Livorno, were examined and the possibility of her being Edgar's Ianthe/Annabel Lee was dismissed even if the name starts and ends sounding the same. Angelica is known to have fainted when viewing sometime around 1826, a mummy belonging to Yanni exhibited in Livorno where he often travelled and where the largest part of his collection was stored until 1835 at least.
Angelica herself suffers and dissappears from the scene after 1835 and, around 1840 or so, marries an italian who participates in the italian "risorgimento" of which Yanni wants no part whatsoever. Her relation to Yanni and "Mizraim" is certain but must further be investigated in Italy by italian "scholars".

Years later Edgar himself describes what happens to the, beyond any boundary, free irish spirit when contained in the "the barrier and the bar" of the early british education system, thus the schizzo personality of "William Wilson" is produced. Edgar never got rid of either personalities: Guilt and shame burdened him all through his life to the very end, he recognises it, he says: That's who I am; that's how I feel about it, this is just how much I suffered, how dearly I paid my mistakes, I am so sorry!
A rare spirit and a great poet ofcourse, but not the point of my research, really now!.

Tis the Poe Enthusiast said it best: "If true, this in and of itself, would constitute a significant shift in the historical understanding of the life of one of America's most influential authors, poets and literary critics. If true, it could further explain the man behind a brilliant mind."

It's time to "historically understand" Edgar as a Philhellene! It's time.

Legrand

The Announcement certainly leads to the "...historical understanding of the life of one of America's most influential authors, poets and literary critics. If true, it could further explain the man behind a brilliant mind" as Tis said, before losing his enthusiasm and riding west.
But the label "philelhellene" needs further elaboration I fear, dear Legrand.

You see, "philhellene" means "friend of the greeks" and Edgar's "colourfull"- etc etc as per Mr Chryssis- performance cannot be really defined as "philhellenic". There are many words starting or ending with "...phile..." but none includes the element of "material profit and reward". Other words exist for that kind of a relationship and "mercenary" is perhaps the wiser choice.
One has to be ever so carefull with labels, especially when characterizing ".America's most influential authors, poets and literary critics".

PUBLISHER WANTED!

Edgar may not have been a good philhellene, but a good riddle he certainly was!
A good riddle for his fellow americans, a good riddle for his so many fans worldwide, a good riddle no more because riddle "Edgar" is now solved!

Time and effort were spent to solve it as, to see find out why Edgar wrote Al Aaraaf, other riddles of the 18th and 19th century, all very relevant and interrelated to "Edgar" had to be solved as well (as per The Announcement and the Recap above).
When such riddles, so mysterious for so long, are solved, questions arise! Yanni does not have all the answers and is as perplexed and confused as every one else. Yanni also knows, too well, that "the whole truth" is well beyond anybody's grasp.
Therefore there are some questions he himself would like to place publicaly and he would be gratefull if someone would address them:
I. If Edgar the poet was a riddle, if, until now, nobody really knew and understood what the poor soul was writing about, then who, what and why, defined him as a "great poet"?
II. Do people normally define as "great", admire and worship everything beyond their own grasp and comprehension or was there a "system"-in the old days naturaly-promoting the "unclear and perplexing" instead of the "clear and straightforward" and if so, why?

The last question will automaticaly be answered if a publisher is found, or not, to undertake "Yanni's" book of riddles titled "Purple History".

Yanni will wait until the end of coming March for publishers to declare their relevant interest, after that he will continue The Announcement by publishing herein the solutions to other riddles solved starting with "Concino".

BTW the login process must be repeated twice before it occurs. Anybody knows why?

It seemed to me that Edgar was a "Philhellene" because of his travels to the Levant; now I am of the opinion that Edgar traveled to the Greek fight for independence for glory and likely for profit as he was very poor. Your term "mercenary" seems befitting, Yanni.

I'm beginning to wonder if Mr. Chryssis is going to respond to your concerns about William Townsend Washington. Certainly someone has or will contact Mr. Chryssis to comment on his statements about WTW.

To American fans of Edgar and those worldwide, where are you? What of this discovery by Yanni the Greek? American Poe "authorities" seem to be asleep, perhaps in a form of adolescence, unwilling to recognize something new and vital to the study of a past brilliant mind. Then again, maybe Edgar is not a riddle to them, maybe they know very well of Edgar's travels in the Levant and at all costs will cover this up.

Yanni, your last two questions may be answered with this: Emerson once said of someone's poetry something on the line of: "...it's wonderful for I do not understand it." Perhaps there was a "system of unclear and perplexity" employed in 19th century poetry.

I anxiously await "Purple History" and why without "Concino" there would have been no USA.

-"Edgar was a "Philhellene" because of his travels to the Levant" you thought!
The Levant hosted many travellers but no, they were not all phillehellenes.
The right use of words is the safeguard of "logic".
-About Concino and his riddle, you write "...without "Concino" there would have been no USA": I do confirm authorship of this exact phrase in a private email between us and I clarify it here so that readers are not confused.

Good day to you Legrand.

A deep religious conflict between protestants and roman catholics divided central Europe as well as France in the 16th century which resulted in Saint Bartholome's massacre of 1573 that further enlarged the conflict.
Fiorentine Maria di Medici (1573–1642), became queen of France after her marriage(1600) to Henry IV (ex Henry of Navarre 1533–1610). Henry's previous protestant marriage to Margarete de Valois (1553–1615) was annuled in 1599.
Henry was converted to roman-catholic to receive Rome's blessing and the crown of France in Paris but was murdered nevertheless in 1610 by a catholic priest named François Ravaillac. Maria became then Regent of France as her son Luis (Luis XIII, 1601–1643) was still a child.
During Maria's regency(1610-1617), a man named Concino Concini (also recorded as Conchino Conchini, christian names said to be Cosimo-Jean Baptiste or possibly Carlo), said to be Maria's lover, climbed to the top of the power ladder in France receiving, among others, the title of marhall of France. He thus became the target of other french nobles, mainly protestant-hugenots, who murdered both him and his wife Eleonora Calliga, dame de companie of queen Maria, in front of the Louvre palace in 1617.
"Protected" by the murderers, prince Luis, still below age, was then crowned King of France.
Regent Maria was exiled in Blois for five years, yet she reconciled later on with her son, returned to Paris in 1622 and befriended cardinal Richelieu (1585–1642). In 1630 however she fell again out of favour, was imprisoned in Compiegne wherefrom she escaped in 1631 and permanently fled France thereafter to die in Cologne, Germany in 1642.

Maria di Medici, founder of charity institutions, was surely the "mother" of all next "Luis" Bourbon Kings of France (until the unfortunate Luis XVI).
But....who was the real "father"?
Because, if Concino was not "shooting blanks" as it was rudely stated previously, then he was.
Matters of such delicate nature are somewhat "clouded" historicaly, thus the true identity of Concino Concini is still obscure today, his origins unknown, his name has been modified. Who was he really?

The above is just the prelude of the riddle however as the statement above "without Concino there would have been no USA" is reconfirmed and furthermore expanded as follows:

Without Concino there would have been no democratic France, no modern Greece and no US of A.

So the solution to the "real Concino riddle" includes both the revelation of Concino's true identity as well as the proof to this outrageous statement. Other statements made concerning the pentagon star as well as the Great Seal and its designer will also be documented as scheduled.

Why is all this placed under this "Poe" thread?
Because Edgar and his poetic-diplomatic blunders in the Levant have been the key to solve the "true Concino riddle".