--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Prophet!\" said I, \"thing of evil!…" description: "\"Prophet!\" said I, \"thing of evil! - prophet still, if bird or devil! By that Heaven that bends above us- by that God we both adore- Tell this soul with..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e0/edgar-allan-poe-315_adore_prophet-said-i-thing-of-evil-prophet-sti_2358349.jpg" --- # Prophet!" said I, "thing of evil! - prophet still, if bird… ![“Prophet!" said I, "thing of evil! - prophet still, if bird or devil! By that Heaven that bends above us- by that God we both adore- Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn, It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore- Clasp a rare and radiant maiden whom the…” quote by Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e0/edgar-allan-poe-315_adore_prophet-said-i-thing-of-evil-prophet-sti_2358349.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e0/edgar-allan-poe-315_adore_prophet-said-i-thing-of-evil-prophet-sti_2358349.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e0/edgar-allan-poe-315_adore_prophet-said-i-thing-of-evil-prophet-sti_2358349.jpg) > “Prophet!" said I, "thing of evil! - prophet still, if bird or devil! By that Heaven that bends above us- by that God we both adore- Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn, It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore- Clasp a rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore." Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore.” [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker laments loss, invoking a prophet and a maiden named Lenore, reflecting grief and yearning. **In simple terms:** Grief expressed through poetic lament. Key Takeaway Embrace mourning to heal. Themes grief loss longing Mood melancholic poetic somber Type literature philosophical When to use this quote - funeral rites - writing therapy - memorial services Key Concepts romanticism death mythology Questions to Reflect On - What does the raven symbolize for the speaker? - How does poetry aid in processing sorrow? A Different Perspective May romanticize death, hindering acceptance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Angel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/angel/) [Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bird/) [Devil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/devil/) [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) [Heaven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heaven/) [Prophet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prophet/) [Raven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/raven/) [Ravens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ravens/) [Sorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sorrow/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) [Spirituality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirituality/) ## Related quotes > [“Prophet!” said I, “thing of evil! — prophet still, if bird or devil! — Whether Tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore, Desolate, yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/prophet-said-i-thing-of-evil-prophet-still-if-bird-or-devil-whether/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [And the Raven, never flitting, Still is sitting, still is sitting On the pallid bust of Pallas Just above my chamber door; And his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/and-the-raven-never-flitting-still-is-sitting-still-is-sitting-on-the/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/quoth-the-raven-nevermore/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/and-the-raven-never-flitting-still-is-sitting-still-is-sitting/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [Quote the raven nevermore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/quote-the-raven-nevermore/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [“And the raven quote, nevermore.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/and-the-raven-quote-nevermore/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [Ghastly grim and ancient raven wandering from the nightly shore - Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night's Plutonian shore! Quoth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/ghastly-grim-and-ancient-raven-wandering-from-the-nightly-shore-tell/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [Then, methought, the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censer Swung by Seraphim whose footfalls tinkled on the tufted floor. "Wretch," I cried,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/then-methought-the-air-grew-denser-perfumed-from-an-unseen-censer-3/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!” Quoth the raven, “Nevermore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/take-thy-beak-from-out-my-heart-and-take-thy-form-from-off-my-door/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [The church is: a conspiracy of love for a dying world, a spy mission into enemy occupied territory ruled by the powers of evil;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/the-church-is-a-conspiracy-of-love-for-a-dying-world-a-spy-mission/) [Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/) > [“Hey," said Shadow. "Huginn or Muninn, or whoever you are." The bird turned, head tipped, suspiciously, on one side, and it stared at him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/hey-said-shadow-huginn-or-muninn-or-whoever-you-are-the-bird-turned/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [At a certain point he was very popular, from THE RAVEN. He was never fully appreciated, never made the money, and you know he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-astin/at-a-certain-point-he-was-very-popular-from-the-raven-he-was-never/) [John Astin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-astin/) > [The cry of a young raven is nothing but the natural cry of a creature, but your cry, if it be sincere, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/the-cry-of-a-young-raven-is-nothing-but-the-natural-cry-of-a-creature/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [Raven jerks and stiffens. For a second, I think she is only surprised: Her mouth goes round, her eyes wide. Then she begins teetering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/raven-jerks-and-stiffens-for-a-second-i-think-she-is-only-surprised/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [It suits my own attitude toward the world and its people to believe that the Raven is this completely self-centered, uninvolved bringer of change,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-reid/it-suits-my-own-attitude-toward-the-world-and-its-people-to-believe/) [Bill Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-reid/) ## More by Edgar Allan Poe > [“From childhood’s hour I have not been As others were—I have not seen As others saw—I could not bring My passions from a common…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/from-childhood-s-hour-i-have-not-been-as-others-were-i-have-not-seen/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [There is no passion in nature so demoniacally impatient, as that of him who, shuddering upon the edge of a precipice, thus meditates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/there-is-no-passion-in-nature-so-demoniacally-impatient-as-that-of/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [To vilify a great man is the readiest way in which a little man can himself attain greatness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/to-vilify-a-great-man-is-the-readiest-way-in-which-a-little-man-can/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [“A skillful literary artist has constructed a tale. 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By that Heaven that bends above us- by that God we both adore- Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn, It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore- Clasp a rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore.\" Quoth the Raven, \"Nevermore.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Edgar Allan Poe" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/prophet-said-i-thing-of-evil-prophet-still-if-bird-or-devil-by-that/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Adore" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/prophet-said-i-thing-of-evil-prophet-still-if-bird-or-devil-by-that/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e0/edgar-allan-poe-315_adore_prophet-said-i-thing-of-evil-prophet-sti_2358349.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e0/edgar-allan-poe-315_adore_prophet-said-i-thing-of-evil-prophet-sti_2358349.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e0/edgar-allan-poe-315_adore_prophet-said-i-thing-of-evil-prophet-sti_2358349.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Prophet!\" said I, \"thing of evil! - prophet still, if bird or devil! 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