Eldorado

Eldorado

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!"

Eldorado was first published in 1849, and was one of Poe’s last poems. It details the journey of a knight in search of the fabled land of El Dorado, from his youth to death. He was not able to find any such land, and upon meeting a ‘pilgrim shadow’ was directed to the ‘Valley Of Shadow’, where he may find El Dorado.

The poem is very short consisting of only four stanzas.  Poe could be referring to the way people chase material wealth throughout their lives. And that even at the end of their strength, when they are dying, they do not give up their pursuit. He says that such wealth is not present in the mortal realm and the ‘pilgrim shadow’ which could be a ghost points the knight to the ‘Valley of Shadow’, or to the valley of death. He describes man as being materialistic and unable to escape his own worldliness which leads him to ignore the other aspects of life other than his search for wealth. The fact that the ghost knows the location of El Dorado further implies that such wealth is not possible for a human being to obtain.

El Dorado, was the mythical city supposedly said to be made completely out of gold. Poe’s inspiration for this poem could be the fact that it was during the California gold Rush of 1849. Through this poem Poe is describing the greed and hunger for wealth of mankind, so much so that they would give up their whole life in pursuit of it.