Stanza 5

Summary of "The Raven"

Stanza 5:

Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,

Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortals ever dared to dream before;

But the silence was unbroken, and the stillness gave no token,

And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, "Lenore!"

This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, "Lenore!"-

Merely this, and nothing more.

Paraphrased Stanza 5:

I looked deep into the dark night for a long time, dismayed and afraid,

Unsure, thinking of things which no other person would ever dare to think of;

But it was completely silent, and completely still,

And the only thing that was heard was whispered; the word "Lenore!"

But I whispered this, and heard it come back to me on an echo, "Lenore!"-

Only that, and nothing more than that.