# XII explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by Edgar Allan Poe.

## What happens

The narrator refuses to sing a requiem for the departed, instead sending them off with a joyful paean from ancient times.

## Themes in this chapter

### Death and Mortality

The chapter deals with the departure of a soul, rejecting a mournful requiem in favor of a celebratory paean.

## Character check-ins

### Narrator

The speaker addresses the departed, choosing a paean over a requiem.

## Key lines

> Therefore, to thee this night I will no requiem raise, But waft thee on thy flight, With a Paean of old days.

So tonight I will not sing a funeral hymn for you, but instead send you off with an ancient song of triumph.

_The speaker chooses celebration over mourning for the departed._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_4_se/chapters/xii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_4_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_4_se/chapters