---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Then, methought, the air grew denser…"
description: "\"“Then, methought, the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censer”\" — Edgar Allan Poe"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4cb/edgar-allan-poe-315_smell_then-methought-the-air-grew-denser-perfu_336034.jpg"
---

#  Then, methought, the air grew denser, perfumed from an…

![“Then, methought, the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censer” quote by Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4cb/edgar-allan-poe-315_smell_then-methought-the-air-grew-denser-perfu_336034.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4cb/edgar-allan-poe-315_smell_then-methought-the-air-grew-denser-perfu_336034.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4cb/edgar-allan-poe-315_smell_then-methought-the-air-grew-denser-perfu_336034.jpg)

> ““Then, methought, the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censer””

[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 narrator senses a dense, fragrant atmosphere from an unseen source.

**In simple terms:** A mysterious scent fills the air.

Key Takeaway

Notice subtle changes in surroundings.

Themes

mystery perception atmosphere

Mood

eerie poetic

Type

literary descriptive

When to use this quote

- poetry analysis
- creative writing
- mindful observation
- atmospheric design

Key Concepts

symbolism sensory detail

Questions to Reflect On

- What does the unseen scent symbolize?
- How does this line affect the poem’s mood?

A Different Perspective

Interpretation may vary widely.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Smell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smell/)

## Related quotes

> [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/)

> [“He was so close to her then that they owned every molecule of air in the tiny room and the air grew heavy with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/he-was-so-close-to-her-then-that-they-owned-every-molecule-of-air-in/)

[Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/)

> [The sky darkened, the air grew colder, but he didn't mind. It didn't occur to him to move. This was the right place. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-barker/the-sky-darkened-the-air-grew-colder-but-he-didn-t-mind-it-didn-t/)

[Pat Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-barker/)

> [Air grew heavy, damp, almost solid. I was breathing bricks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/air-grew-heavy-damp-almost-solid-i-was-breathing-bricks/)

[Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/)

> [“Had they nothing else to say to one another? More serious communications were, to be sure, passing between their eyes. As they tried to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/had-they-nothing-else-to-say-to-one-another-more-serious/)

[Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/)

> [“Her heart sank. That's why he found her attractive- because he'd been so long without. He'd probably find a perfumed rock appealing at this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kresley-cole/her-heart-sank-that-s-why-he-found-her-attractive-because-he-d-been/)

[Kresley Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kresley-cole/)

> [“One never ought to listen to the flowers. One should simply look at them and breathe their fragrance. Mine perfumed all my planet. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/one-never-ought-to-listen-to-the-flowers-one-should-simply-look-at/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [The hours I spend with you I look upon as sort of a perfumed garden, a dim twilight, and a fountain signing to it...you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-hours-i-spend-with-you-i-look-upon-as-sort-of-a-perfumed-garden-a/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The record of a generous life runs like a vine around the memory of our dead, and every sweet unselfish act is now a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/the-record-of-a-generous-life-runs-like-a-vine-around-the-memory-of/)

[Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/)

> [Perfumed and gallant words make our ears belch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pietro-aretino/perfumed-and-gallant-words-make-our-ears-belch/)

[Pietro Aretino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pietro-aretino/)

> [“Before, I would have been powdered and perfumed, my hair done in an elaborate style by the patient fingers of servants. The household crake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cat-hellisen/before-i-would-have-been-powdered-and-perfumed-my-hair-done-in-an/)

[Cat Hellisen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cat-hellisen/)

> [“Sunlight streamed in a steady flow, casting flecks of gold onto the floor, bathing my skin. I inhaled deeply. Already, the air inside my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-sehyun-song/sunlight-streamed-in-a-steady-flow-casting-flecks-of-gold-onto-the/)

[Erica Sehyun Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-sehyun-song/)

> [Then will I raise aloft the milk-white rose. For whose sweet smell the air shall be perfumed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/then-will-i-raise-aloft-the-milk-white-rose-for-whose-sweet-smell-the/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [A perfumed butthole is still a butthole.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/a-perfumed-butthole-is-still-a-butthole/)

[Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/)

> [“By nine, Mildred was powdered, puffed, perfumed, and patted to that state of semi-transparency that a woman seems to achieve when she is really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/by-nine-mildred-was-powdered-puffed-perfumed-and-patted-to-that-state/)

[James M. Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/)

## 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. If wise, he has not fashioned his thoughts to accommodate his incidents; but having conceived, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/a-skillful-literary-artist-has-constructed-a-tale-if-wise-he-has-not/)

[Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/)

> [“For eyes we have no models in the remotely antique.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/for-eyes-we-have-no-models-in-the-remotely-antique/)

[Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/)

> [“During the whole of a dull, dark, and soundless day in the autumn of the year, when the clouds hung oppressively low in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/during-the-whole-of-a-dull-dark-and-soundless-day-in-the-autumn-of/)

[Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/)

> [Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things that escape those who dream only at night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/those-who-dream-by-day-are-cognizant-of-many-things-that-escape-those/)

[Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/)

> [“I have said that the sole effect of my somewhat childish experiment—that of looking down within the tarn—had been to deepen the first singular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/i-have-said-that-the-sole-effect-of-my-somewhat-childish-experiment/)

[Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/)

> [And all my days are trances, And all my nightly dreams Are where thy dark eye glances, And where thy footstep gleams-- In what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/and-all-my-days-are-trances-and-all-my-nightly-dreams-are-where-thy/)

[Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/)

> [“Other friends have flown before — On the morrow he will leave me, as my hopes have flown before.” Quoth the raven, “Nevermore.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/other-friends-have-flown-before-on-the-morrow-he-will-leave-me-as-my/)

[Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/)

> [“To the right and left, as far as the eye could reach, there lay outstretched, like ramparts of the world, lines of horridly black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/to-the-right-and-left-as-far-as-the-eye-could-reach-there-lay/)

[Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/)

> [Men die nightly in their beds, wringing the hands of ghostly confessors ... on account of the hideousness of mysteries which will not suffer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/men-die-nightly-in-their-beds-wringing-the-hands-of-ghostly/)

[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/)

> [I was forced to fall back upon the unsatisfactory conclusion, that while, beyond doubt, there are combinations of very simple natural objects which have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/i-was-forced-to-fall-back-upon-the-unsatisfactory-conclusion-that/)

[Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/)

> [“For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams Of the beautiful Annabel Lee; And the stars never rise but i feel the bright…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/for-the-moon-never-beams-without-bringing-me-dreams-of-the-beautiful/)

[Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/)

[Explore all 615 Edgar Allan Poe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/)

## More Smell quotes

> [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/)

[Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/)

> [“On the third day, she smelled the fruit as soon as she came in. She followed the scent to the kitchen, and the peach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allegra-goodman/on-the-third-day-she-smelled-the-fruit-as-soon-as-she-came-in-she/)

[Allegra Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allegra-goodman/)

> [The cooler days have brought a wistful mood upon him. The smell of coalsmoke in the air at night. Old times, dead years. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-cooler-days-have-brought-a-wistful-mood-upon-him-the-smell-of/)

[Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/)

> [The odor of bowel wind is known to every human, but the fragrance of book glue has crossed only a fraction of mortal nostrils.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-odor-of-bowel-wind-is-known-to-every-human-but-the-fragrance-of/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Spirits carry an ozone scent, and demons smell like sulfur or rotten eggs. A person might not even consciously register the smell, but they’ll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-horn/spirits-carry-an-ozone-scent-and-demons-smell-like-sulfur-or-rotten/)

[J.D. Horn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-horn/)

> [Stevie Wonder always smells so good... I'm like a DEA dog, I can smell people a block away!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-estefan/stevie-wonder-always-smells-so-good-i-m-like-a-dea-dog-i-can-smell/)

[Gloria Estefan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-estefan/)

> [I collect my tools: sight, smell, touch, taste, hearing, intellect. Night has fallen...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikos-kazantzakis/i-collect-my-tools-sight-smell-touch-taste-hearing-intellect-night/)

[Nikos Kazantzakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikos-kazantzakis/)

> [Posing the question: does the god of love use underarm deodorant, vaginal spray and fluoride toothpaste?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-ellison/posing-the-question-does-the-god-of-love-use-underarm-deodorant/)

[Harlan Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-ellison/)

> [I always gravitate to perfume with rose. My mom's maiden name is Rose, and the scent of my childhood was always rose. Le Sirenuse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alana-haim/i-always-gravitate-to-perfume-with-rose-my-mom-s-maiden-name-is-rose/)

[Alana Haim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alana-haim/)

> [Do I Stank or was it already Stanky in Here?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-b-wilderson-iii/do-i-stank-or-was-it-already-stanky-in-here/)

Frank B. Wilderson III

> [Scents as well as clothes and hairstyles can go a long way in revealing a part of yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-hathaway/scents-as-well-as-clothes-and-hairstyles-can-go-a-long-way-in/)

[Anne Hathaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-hathaway/)

> [Wild honey smells of freedom The dust - of sunlight The mouth of a young girl, like a violet But gold - smells of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-akhmatova/wild-honey-smells-of-freedom-the-dust-of-sunlight-the-mouth-of-a/)

[Anna Akhmatova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-akhmatova/)

> [“My mom is having a Scentsy party tomorrow," he said. "The scented-wax thingies? Random. But go on." He laced his fingers together on his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-gibsen/my-mom-is-having-a-scentsy-party-tomorrow-he-said-the-scented-wax/)

[Cole Gibsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-gibsen/)

> [“There was a strange exciting smell in the air - the smell of wine, cigar smoke, and perfume, mingled with the scent of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-was-a-strange-exciting-smell-in-the-air-the-smell-of-wine-cigar/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [When you chopped logs with the ax and they split open they smelled beautiful, like Christmas. But when you split someone's head open it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/when-you-chopped-logs-with-the-ax-and-they-split-open-they-smelled/)

[Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/)

[Browse all 3,930 Smell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smell/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Then, methought, the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censer”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Edgar Allan Poe"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/then-methought-the-air-grew-denser-perfumed-from-an-unseen-censer/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Smell"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/then-methought-the-air-grew-denser-perfumed-from-an-unseen-censer/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4cb/edgar-allan-poe-315_smell_then-methought-the-air-grew-denser-perfu_336034.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4cb/edgar-allan-poe-315_smell_then-methought-the-air-grew-denser-perfu_336034.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4cb/edgar-allan-poe-315_smell_then-methought-the-air-grew-denser-perfu_336034.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Then, methought, the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censer” — Edgar Allan Poe",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Edgar Allan Poe",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Then, methought, the air grew denser,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/then-methought-the-air-grew-denser-perfumed-from-an-unseen-censer/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/then-methought-the-air-grew-denser-perfumed-from-an-unseen-censer/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
