Where Once Poe Walked by Nicholas Ryan Kelly
Performed by Pro Coro Canada on February 11/12, 2023, at the Westbury Theatre in Edmonton, AB
From the composer:
Since I've been a lifelong fan of horror fiction and dark fantasy, I was thrilled to come across a poem with ties to two of these genres' most influential figures (Poe and Lovecraft). Lovecraft's acrostic sonnet on the name "Edgar Allan Poe" evokes a richly creepy atmosphere, and, given my background in film score composition, I couldn't resist bringing it to life with music.
Where once Poe walked, by H.P. Lovecraft
Eternal brood the shadows on this ground,
Dreaming of centuries that have gone before;
Great elms rise solemnly by slab and mound,
Arched high above a hidden world of yore.
Round all the scene a light of memory plays,
And dead leaves whisper of departed days,
Longing for sights and sounds that are no more.
Lonely and sad, a specter glides along
Aisles where of old his living footsteps fell;
No common glance discerns him, though his song
Peals down through time with a mysterious spell.
Only the few who sorcery's secret know,
Espy amidst these tombs the shade of Poe.