Writings in the United Amateur, 1915-1922

by H. P. Lovecraft

At the Home of Poe

A Poem in Prose
To H. P. Lovecraft

Frank Belknap Long, Jr.

The home of Poe! It is like a fairy dwelling, a gnomic palace built of the aether of dreams. It is tiny and delicate and lovely, and replete with memories of sere leaves in November and of lilies in April. It is a castle of vanished hopes, of dimly-remembered dreams, of sad memories older than the deluge. The dead years circle slowly and solemnly around its low white walls, and clothe it in a mystic veil of unseen tears. And many marvellous stories could this quaint little old house tell, many weird and cryptic stories of him of the Raven hair, and high, pallid brow, and sad, sweet face, and melancholy mien; and of the beloved Virginia, that sweet child of a thousand magic visions, child of the lonesome, pale-gray latter years, child of the soft and happy South. And how the dreamer of the spheres must have loved this strange little house. Every night the hollow boards of its porch must have echoed to his footfall, and every morn the great rising sun must have sent its rays through the little window, and bathed the lovely tresses of the dream-child in mystical yellow. And perhaps there was laughter within the walls of that house—laughter and merriment and singing. But we know that the Evil One came at last, the grim humourless spectre who loves not beauty, and is not of this world. And we know that the house of youth and of love became a house of death, and that memories bitter as the tears of a beautiful woman assailed the dreamer within. And at last he himself left that house of mourning and sought solace among the stars. But the house remains a vision out of a magical book; a thing seen darkly as in a looking-glass; but lovely beyond the dreams of mortals, and ineffably sad.

Transcriber's Note

Minor typographical errors have been corrected without note. Significant amendments, author's corrections and further notes have been recorded below. American and British forms of typography, in addition to variant, dialect and archaic spellings, have been retained except where obvious errors exist.

Author's Corrections:

p. [14], see p. [30] for details:

'long' corrected to longer.

p. [49], see p. [60] for details:

'sublime' corrected to sublimer;

'star's' corrected to stars;

'father's' corrected to fathers;

'hollow'd' corrected to hallow'd.

Transcriber's Amendments:

p. [7], 'insanity' amended to inanity: 'triteness and inanity';

'permissable' amended to permissible: 'permissible clause';

'breath' amended to breadth: 'present moderate breadth'.

p. [8], 'woud' amended to would: 'would do much';

'editorials' amended to editorial: 'Mr Stokes' editorial';

'istincts' amended to instincts: 'in our instincts';

'amateurs' amended to amateur: 'in amateur circles'.

p. [9], 'from' amended to form: 'Credentials form the'.

p. [11], 'scacely' amended to scarcely: 'but scarcely equal';

'colums' amended to columns: 'Coyote's editorial columns'.

p. [12], 'Sappo' amended to Sappho: '"To Sappho", by Olive G. Owen'.

p. [13], 'Morrish' amended to Moorish: 'old Moorish Spain'.

p. [14], 'Houghton' amended to Haughton: 'Edna Mitchell Haughton's'.

p. [15], 'Derartment' amended to Department: 'Department Of Public';

'witheld' amended to withheld: 'merely withheld from'.

p. [16], added is: 'no praise is needed';

'Niagra' amended to Niagara: 'Visit to Niagara';

'wormth' amended to warmth: 'and genuine warmth';

'Weeks' amended to Week: 'History of an Eight-Week-Old'.

p. [17], 'advantage' amended to advantages: 'advantages ... are many'.

p. [18], 'pronounciation' amended to pronunciation: 'New York pronunciation';

'Mrs.' amended to Mr., referring to Ricardo Santiago.

p. [19], 'phenomerally' amended to phenomenally: 'phenomenally pure';

'Hennesey' amended to Hennessey: 'James J. Hennessey'.

p. [20], 'bestrown' amended to bestrewn: 'is bestrewn with slang'.

p. [25], 'away' amended to way: 'giving way to'.

p. [29], 'techique' amended to technique: 'plot and technique'.

p. [33], 'Heindall's' amended to Heimdall's.

p. [34], 'Heindall' amended to Heimdall;

'Sehrimner' amended to Sehrimnir: 'the boar Sehrimnir'.

p. [35], 'Jordon' amended to Jordan (3 instances);

'inconsistancy ... is' amended to inconsistency ... it: 'inconsistency, but it seems';

'a' amended to of: 'rank as a poet is of very high tone'.

p. [36], 'beautful' amended to beautiful: 'delicately beautiful';

'posessive' amended to possessive: 'possessive case';

'ungramatical' amended to ungrammatical: 'by the ungrammatical';

'Harington' amended to Harrington: 'William T. Harrington';

'abnorman pschology' amended to abnormal psychology;

'letre' amended to metre: 'tuneful metre';

'Chrismas' amended to Christmas: 'Christmas number';

'Jordon' amended to Jordan: 'Winifred V. Jordan's'.

p. [37], 'propertly' amended to properly: 'be properly welcomed';

'throught' amended to through: 'recording thought through'.

p. [38], 'Buterfly' amended to Butterfly: 'To a Butterfly';

'Jordon' amended to Jordan: 'Winifred V. Jordan';

'con-conception' amended to conception: 'his conception of'.

p. [39], 'classoical' amended to classical: 'more classical myths';

added by: 'also by Mr. Cole';

'beautful' amended to beautiful: 'many beautiful passages';

'physhological' amended to psychological: 'a psychological as';

'dignnity' amended to dignity: 'humility and dignity';

'gramatical' amended to grammatical: 'of grammatical or'.

p. [40], 'Emile' amended to Emilie: 'Emilie C. Holladay';

'ocasional' amended to occasional: 'the occasional metrical lines';

'Jordon' amended to Jordan: 'Winifred V. Jordan';

'Willam' amended to William: 'William de Ryee';

'technicly' amended to technically: 'are technically no';

'Canvass' amended to Canvas: 'the Canvas Wall';

'but is' amended to is but: 'novel is but a'.

p. [41], 'mosiac' amended to mosaic: 'skillful mosaic of';

'unaquainted' amended to unacquainted: 'totally unacquainted';

'embarassed' amended to embarrassed: 'a little embarrassed'.

p. [42], 'staza' amended to stanza: 'first stanza might'.

p. [43], 'pharse' amended to phrase: 'the awkward phrase';

'ryhthm' amended to rhythm: 'swinging dactylic rhythm';

'uder' amended to under: 'coat under the wayside'.

p. [44], 'develope' amended to develop: 'all develop naturally';

'Macauly' amended to Macauley: 'George W. Macauley'.

p. [45], 'pratically' amended to practically: 'for practically all';

'amatuer' amended to amateur: 'professionalized amateur';

'happly' amended to happily: 'happily extinct tribe'.

p. [47], 'apearance' amended to appearance: 'the appearance of';

'incongrous' amended to incongruous: 'a rather incongruous'.

p. [48], 'reminiscense' amended to reminiscence: 'pensive reminiscence';

'Haaughton' amended to Haughton: 'Ida C. Haughton'.

p. [50], 'unamimous' amended to unanimous: 'absolutely unanimous vote';

'sustined' amended to sustained: 'and sustained his'.

p. [52], 'Kliner' amended to Kleiner: 'the Kleiner type';

'Henrietta' amended to Henriette: 'Henriette and Florenz';

'thoughfulness' amended to thoughtfulness: 'for thoughtfulness'.

p. [53], 'essays-writers' amended to essay-writers.

p. [54], 'prosed' amended to proposed: 'the proposed alteration'.

p. [57], 'Statess' amended to States: 'the United States'.

p. [59], 'Mathew' amended to Matthew: 'Matthew Hilson'.

p. [61], 'ancesters' amended to ancestors: 'of my ancestors'.

p. [63], 'ancesters' amended to ancestors: 'ancestors had met';

'told' amended to tolled: 'clock ... tolled off'.

p. [64], 'Godfry' amended to Godfrey: 'son of Godfrey';

'particularily' amended to particularly: 'most particularly';

'gastly' amended to ghastly: 'ghastly radiance'.

p. [66], 'rhym' amended to rhyme: 'nobility of the rhyme';

'bouyant' amended to buoyant: 'joy and buoyant';

'tireomely' amended to tiresomely: 'tiresomely commonplace';

'savour' amended to savours: 'savours too much'.

p. [67], 'solesisms' amended to solecisms: 'such solecisms as';

'avoid' amended to avoided: 'should be avoided'.

p. [68], 'awkard' amended to awkward: 'not wholly awkward';

'copmlete' amended to complete: 'more complete';

repeated line removed: 'sentiment, deriving much force from the';

'poplarly' amended to popularly: 'are popularly supposed';

added a: 'it is a comfort'.

p. [69], repeated line removed: 'ology. In the third line of the third stanza';

'hypocricy' amended to hypocrisy: 'The hypocrisy of'.

p. [70], 'occuring' amended to occurring: 'A rhyme occurring';

'colum' amended to column: 'editorial column of';

'techinque' amended to technique: 'old-school technique'.

p. [71], 'unsual' amended to unusual: 'rather unusual';

repeated text 'of' removed: 'pen of of Mrs. W. V. Jordan'.

p. [72], 'accentuaton' amended to accentuation: 'accentuation of the';

'hsould' amended to should: 'word should be';

'citic' amended to critic: 'the present critic'.

p. [73], 'denizon' amended to denizen: 'or denizen is';

'year' amended to years: 'eighty-six years ago';

'contents ... is' amended to contents ... are;

'McGavach' amended to McGavack (2 instances).

p. [74], added is: '"Education in Trinidad" is another'.

p. [77], 'revails' amended to reveals: 'but scansion reveals';

'Gallenne' amended to Gallienne: 'Richard Le Gallienne'.

p. [78], 'vesy' amended to very: 'a very pleasing';

'gartifyingly' amended to gratifyingly: 'metre is gratifyingly';

'hypocracy' amended to hypocrisy: 'anti-prohibition hypocrisy';

'earsest' amended to earnest: 'are more earnest'.

p. [79], 'propertly' amended to properly: 'cannot properly be rhymed'.

p. [81], 'posses ... conspicious' amended to possess ... conspicuous: 'possess both deep fervour and conspicuous merit';

'McGavach' amended to McGavack (3 instances).

p. [82], 'Parke's' amended to Mr. Parks': 'Mr. Parks' brief sketches';

'McGavach' amended to McGavack (2 instances);

'irresistly' amended to irresistibly: 'irresistibly delight';

'metriacl' amended to metrical: 'metrical effort'.

p. [84], 'ocurrences' amended to occurrences: 'obscure occurrences of'.

p. [85], 'Authour' amended to Author: 'Author of the'.

p. [88], 'Ecstacy' amended to Ecstasy: '"Ecstasy," a poem';

'imporant' amended to important: 'number of important'.

p. [90], 'rtaes' amended to rates: 'at reasonable rates'.

p. [91], 'cooperateion' amended to co-operation: 'closer co-operation';

'Asociation' amended to Association: 'out of the Association'.

p. [92], 'productons' amended to productions: 'literary productions'.

p. [93], 'twilght ... unpanted' amended to twilight ... unpainted: 'through the twilight, some grey, unpainted';

'pronounciation' amended to pronunciation: 'pronunciation of'.

p. [94], 'dsplaying' amended to displaying: 'displaying an enviable';

'Medum' amended to Medium: 'Medium of Education';

'it' amended to in: 'picturesque in atmosphere'.

p. [95], 'wth' amended to with: 'compared with many';

'Reiseberg' amended to Rieseberg: 'Harry E. Rieseberg'.

p. [98], 'adminstrative' amended to administrative.

p. [99], 'Lindquqist' amended to Lindquist.

p. [100], 'insuffcient' amended to insufficient: 'is insufficient to'.

p. [103], 'it' amended to is: 'and it is a source'.

p. [104], 'rhetorican' amended to rhetorician: 'as a rhetorician'.

p. [105], 'Namantius' amended to Namatianus.

p. [106], 'corect' amended to correct: 'most correct age'.

p. [109], 'similiarly' amended to similarly: 'the similarly spelled'.

p. [110], 'psuedo-anecdotes' amended to pseudo-anecdotes;

'gratfying' amended to gratifying: 'great and gratifying'.

p. [112], 'persual' amended to perusal: 'perusal of standard'.

p. [113], 'demonstrate' amended to demonstrates: 'A glance ... demonstrates';

'econium' amended to encomium: 'evoke encomium with'.

p. [119], 'gorss' amended to gross: 'gross violations of';

repeated text 'and verb' removed: 'noun and verb and verb';

'ues' amended to use: 'Ambiguous use of pronouns'.

p. [122], 'versimilitude' amended to verisimilitude;

'qualiy' amended to quality: 'prosaic quality'.

p. [126], 'Deinos' amended to Deimos: 'Deimos and Phobos'.

Further Notes:

p. [16], 'Dempsey' and p. [43], 'Dempesy', conflicted spelling: 'Caryl Wilson Demp[se/es]y'.

p. [41], 'Frazer' and p. [51], 'Frazier', conflicted spelling: 'John W. Frazer'.

p. [73], 'Acyion', possible misprint of Alcyon or Alcyone: 'Edwin Gibson's "Sonnet to Acyion"'.

p. [93], 'Dionondawa', possible misprint of Dionondehowa: 'To the Falls of Dionondawa'.