Eldorado by Edgar Allan Poe

This poem relates to "Don Quixote" written in 1605 by Miguel de Cervantes. He was lost in a dream world, roaming through the land, fighting against windmills and imagining battles on his conquest. A point of interest is Edgar Allan Poe has never been to Eldorado.

Though the message is clinical, there is a sense of inward reflection. The surface story is easy enough. A deluded man is in search of something he cannot obtain until old age. He imagines a shadow speaking to him, since he has gone insane.

Underneath this we see a person trying to create their fortune, only to grow old. They never fulfill dreams or aspirations. The shadow represents nearing death. Yet the man struggles while keeping hope. The shadow tells him, Eldorado will be reached in the afterlife. Often people live in hope of a rewarding afterlife.

And, as his strength
Failed him at length,
He met a pilgrim shadow –
"Shadow," said he,
"Where can it be –
This land of Eldorado?

It is a break from Poe's usual works. It has a motivational message, implying the journey was more important than arrival. It also implies a greater reward in the afterlife. Many of his works allude to living sparsely to gain happiness for an eternity.

Instead the knight searches gallantly to reach his goals. In this I feel Edgar Allan Poe is reflecting on his own life in the lines: "But he grew old – this knight so bold - and o'er his heart a shadow fell as he found no spot of ground that looked like Eldorado." It is no secret that while his poetry made him famous, his love life was wanting. He also had a reputation of being indifferent to friends. Perhaps no matter how hard he tried his accomplishments were always short of reaching his goals. However, he did become famous and immortal because of his short stories and poems after dying.

In this way, Eldorado is clearly happiness. Edgar Allan Poe isn't alone in this. People are always trying to find happiness through achievement, yet it eludes us.

Quirky Books
Edgar Allan Poe: Editor Richard Wilbur