Lovecraft and Poe

Howard Phillips Lovecraft was born August 20, 1890. He went on to become an important writer of horror and science fiction. His name is rarely mentioned without immediately mentioning one of his important inspirations: Edgar Poe. Lovecraft invented in an entire world for his work and Poe's influence on him is unmistakable. In fact, Lovercraft even wrote a poem inspired by Poe:

“In a Sequester’d Providence Churchyard Where Once Poe Walk’d”

Eternal brood the shadows on this ground,
Dreaming of centuries that have gone before;
Great elms rise solemnly by slab and mound,
Arched high above a hidden world of yore.
Round all the scene a light of memory plays,
And dead leaves whisper of departed days,
Longing for sights and sounds that are no more.

Lonely and sad, a specter glides along
Aisles where of old his living footsteps fell;
No common glance discerns him, though his song
Peals down through time with a mysterious spell.
Only the few who sorcery’s secret know,
Espy amidst these tombs the shade of Poe.

The cemetery to which Lovecraft referred is possibly the same cemetery in Providence where Poe's one-time fiancee Sarah Helen Whitman is buried today. Lovecraft is buried nearby in another Providence cemetery (pictured above). I'm definitely not an expert (or fan) of Lovecraft, but I'm sure there are others out there who can make great connections between the two. I'd love to hear from those people — please add a comment below!

Happy birthday, H. P. Lovecraft.