An Enigma
Seldom we find,” says Solomon Don Dunce,”Half an idea in the profoundest sonnet.Through all the flimsy things we see at onceAs easily as through a Naples bonnet—Trash of all trash!—how can a lady don it?Yet heavier far than your Petrarchan stuff—Owl-downy nonsense that the faintest puffTwirls into trunk-paper the while you con it.”And, veritably, Sol is right enough.The general tuckermanities are arrantBubbles—ephemeral and so transparent—But this is, now,—you may depend upon it—Stable, opaque, immortal—all by dintOf the dear names that lie concealed within ’t.
Words in this poem
- solomon n.
- One of the kings of Israel, noted for his superior wisdom and magnificent reign; hence, a very wise man.
- sonnet n.
- A short poem, -- usually amatory. [F., fr. It. sonetto, fr. suono a sound, a song, fr. L. sonus a sound. See Sound noise.]
- arrant a.
- Notoriously or preëminently bad; thorough or downright, in a bad sense; shameless; unmitigated; as, an arrant rogue or coward. [OE. erraunt, errant, errand, equiv. to E. errant wandering, which was first applied to vagabonds, as an errant rogue, an errant thief, and hence passed graduall]
- dint n.
- A blow; a stroke. [OE. dint, dent, dunt, a blow, AS. dynt; akin to Icel. dyntr a dint, dynta to dint, and perh. to L. fendere (in composition). Cf. 1st Dent, Defend.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
An Enigma is in the public domain. This text is taken from The poetical works of Edgar Allan Poe, Project Gutenberg ebook #79019; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Edgar Allan Poe, An Enigma, in The Raven, and Other Poems (1827–1849), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #79019, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/poe-poems/an-enigma.html, id L04153.
Form and metre
An Enigma is 14 lines in a single stanza. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 82%). 86% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 10.1 syllables. 4 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 29% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in iambic pentameter.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 1 -A-AABBABCCAC- dunce · sonnetA · once · bonnetA · itA · stuffB · puffB · itA · enoughB · arrantC · transparentC · itA · dintC · t
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against iambic pentameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| Seldom we find,” says Solomon Don Dunce, | 10 | /˘···/˘˘·· |
| ”Half an idea in the profoundest sonnet. | 12 | ··˘/˘··˘/˘/˘ |
| Through all the flimsy things we see at once | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| As easily as through a Naples bonnet— | 11 | ·/˘˘···/˘/˘ |
| Trash of all trash!—how can a lady don it? | 11 | ·······/˘·· |
| Yet heavier far than your Petrarchan stuff— | 11 | ·/˘˘······· |
| Owl-downy nonsense that the faintest puff | 10 | ·/˘/˘··/˘· |
| Twirls into trunk-paper the while you con it.” | 11 | ····/˘····· |
| And, veritably, Sol is right enough. | 10 | ·/˘˘˘···˘/ |
| The general tuckermanities are arrant | 11 | ·/˘˘·····/˘ |
| Bubbles—ephemeral and so transparent— | 11 | /˘˘/˘˘··˘/˘ |
| But this is, now,—you may depend upon it— | 11 | ······˘/··· |
| Stable, opaque, immortal—all by dint | 10 | /˘˘/˘/˘··· |
| Of the dear names that lie concealed within ’t. | 11 | ······˘/··· |
On this poem
Notes from the edition 4
Notes by J. Montgomery Gambrill, Selections from Poe (Boston, 1907; Project Gutenberg #8893).
- Line 1 Solomon Don Dunce: a fanciful name for a stupid person.
- Line 6 Petrarchan stuff: of or by Petrarch (1304-1374), a famous Italian writer of sonnets.
- Line 10 tuckermanities: a contemptuous allusion to the poetic efforts of Henry T. Tuckerman, a New England writer of the day.
- Line 14 dear names: Sarah Anna Lewis, a verse writer of the day, whom Poe admired.
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