ELDORADO
By: Edgar Allan Poe
Gaily bedight,
A gallant knight,
In sunshine and in shadow,
Had journeyed long,
Singing a song,
In search of Eldorado.
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.
And, as his strength
Failed him at length,
He met a pilgrim shadow ---
"Shadow", said he,
"Where can it be ---
This land of Eldorado?"
"Over the Mountains
Of the Moon,
Down the Valley of the Shadow,
Ride, boldly ride",
The shade replied, ---
"If you seek for Eldorado!"
First Stanza:
A very well-dressed young man was on a trip for a really, really long time. Day and night, he's been on the go. He traveled through sunny, open places as well as through darker, more shadowy places, like forests, canyons, caves --- you name it. With his singing act and all, he seems happy enough in his journey to "Eldorado". Eldorado is a legendary city made entirely of gold. It has become a symbol for something mythical, beautiful, but unattainable.
Second Stanza:
The man or the knight spent most of his life searching for Eldorado. But it sounds like he didn't find what he was looking for. It's almost as if he's wasting his life and is now an unsatisfied old man. He is almost giving up.
Third Stanza:
Eventually, the knight's strength gives out. And he met someone, or something: a "pilgrim shadow". But this shadow makes it sounds like the knight is getting closer to death. He asked the shadow for directions. His tone expresses bewilderment. It's almost like he's saying, "Where can it possibly be, this Eldorado?"
Fourth Stanza:
The shadow responds to the knight. The knight learned that he must ride over the "Mountains, Of the Moon" and "Down the Valley of the Shadow" if he's looking for Eldorado. The shadow doesn't really state where the Eldorado is. But the "Valley of the Shadow" is a little more abstract. I think it's the shade's way of referring to death. Well, the mountains are really far away, somewhere that it's not easy to get to. They're almost mythical. So, it seems like "Eldorado" doesn't really exist at all. Perhaps this is the speaker's way of suggesting that, if one goes through life expecting to find something super-awesome like Eldorado, one will be disappointed. Maybe, just maybe, it's all about the journey itself. I guess, "Eldorado" refers to the eternal life we will experience after our death on Earth.
