The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe
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the fall of_the house of usher

by Edgar Allan Poe

son cur EST un luth suspendu ; Sitt qu' on le touche il rsonne ..

De Branger .

during the whole of a dull, dark, and soundless day in_the autumn of_the year, when_the clouds hung oppressively low in_the heavens, I had_been passing alone, on horseback, through a singularly dreary tract of country ; and at_length found myself, as_the shades of_the evening drew on, within view of_the melancholy house of usher . I_know not how it_was - but, with_the first glimpse of_the building, a sense of insufferable gloom pervaded my spirit . I_say insufferable ; for_the feeling was unrelieved by any of_that half- pleasurable, because poetic, sentiment, with_which the mind usually receives even the sternest natural images of_the desolate or terrible .I looked upon_the scene before me - upon_the mere house, and_the simple landscape features of_the domain - upon_the bleak walls - upon_the vacant eye- like windows - upon a few rank sedges - and upon a few white trunks of decayed trees - with an utter depression of soul which I_can compare to no earthly sensation more properly than to_the after- dream of_the reveller upon opium - the bitter lapse into everyday life - the hideous dropping off of_the veil . there_was an iciness, asinking, asickening of_the heart - an unredeemed dreariness of thought which no goading of_the imagination could torture into aught of_the sublime . what_was it - I paused to_think - what_was it that so unnerved me in_the contemplation of_the house of usher ? it_was a mystery all insoluble ; nor could I grapple with_the shadowy fancies that crowded upon me as I pondered . i_was forced to_fall back upon_the unsatisfactory conclusion, that while, beyond doubt, there_are combinations of very simple natural objects which_have the power of thus affecting us, still the analysis of_this power lies among considerations beyond our depth . it_was possible, I reflected, that amere different arrangement of_the particulars of_the scene, of_the details of_the picture, would_be sufficient to modify, or perhaps to annihilate its capacity for sorrowful impression ; and, acting upon_this idea, I reined my horse to_the precipitous brink of a black and lurid tarn that lay in unruffled lustre by_the dwelling, and gazed down - but with a shudder even more thrilling than before - upon_the remodelled and inverted images of_the gray sedge, and_the ghastly tree-stems, and_the vacant and eye- like windows .

nevertheless, in_this mansion of gloom I now proposed to myself a sojourn of some weeks . its proprietor, Roderick usher, had_been one of_my boon companions in boyhood ; but many years had elapsed since our last meeting .a letter, however, had lately reached me in a distant part of_the country - a letter from_him - which, in its wildly importunate nature, had admitted of no other_than a personal reply . the MS . gave evidence of nervous agitation . the writer spoke of acute bodily illness - of a mental disorder which oppressed him - and of an earnest desire to_see me, as his best, and indeed his only personal friend, with a view of attempting, by_the cheerfulness of_my society, some alleviation of_his malady . it was_the manner in_which all this, and much more, was said - it was_the apparent heart_ that went with_his request - which allowed me no room for hesitation; and I accordingly obeyed forthwith what I still considered a very singular summons .

although, as boys, we had_been even intimate associates, yet I really knew little of_my friend . his reserve had_been always excessive and habitual . i_was aware, however, that his very ancient family had_been noted, time out of mind, for a peculiar sensibility of temperament, displaying itself, through long ages, in many works of exalted art, and manifested, of late, in repeated deeds of munificent yet unobtrusive charity, as_well as in a passionate devotion to_the intricacies, perhaps even more than to_the orthodox and easily recognisable beauties, of musical science .I had learned, too, the very remarkable fact, that_the stem of_the usher race, all time- honored as it_was, had put forth, at no period, any enduring branch ; in other words, that_the entire family lay in_the direct line of descent, and had always, with very trifling and very temporary variation, so lain . it was_this deficiency, I considered, while running over in thought the perfect keeping of_the character of_the premises with_the accredited character of_the people, and while speculating upon_the possible influence which the one, in_the long lapse of centuries, might_have exercised upon_the other - it was_this deficiency, perhaps, of collateral issue, and_the consequent undeviating transmission, from sire to son, of_the patrimony with_the name, which had, at_length, so identified the two as_to merge the original title of_the estate in_the quaint and equivocal appellation of_the " house of usher" - an appellation which seemed to include, in_the minds of_the peasantry who used it, both the family and_the family mansion .

I_have said that_the sole effect of_my somewhat childish experiment - that of looking down within_the tarn - had_been to deepen the first singular impression . there can_be no_doubt that_the consciousness of_the rapid increase of_my superstition - for why should I not so term it ? - served mainly to accelerate the increase itself . such, I_have long known, is_the paradoxical law of all sentiments having terror as a basis . and it might_have_been for_this reason only, that, when I again uplifted my eyes to_the house itself, from its image in_the pool, there grew in my mind a strange fancy - a fancy so ridiculous, indeed, that I but mention it to show the vivid force of_the sensations which oppressed me .I had so worked upon my imagination as really to_believe that about_the whole mansion and domain there hung an atmosphere peculiar to themselves and their immediate vicinity - an atmosphere which had no affinity with_the air of heaven, but which had reeked up from_the decayed trees, and_the gray wall, and_the silent tarn - a pestilent and mystic vapor, dull, sluggish, faintly discernible, and leaden-hued .

Shaking off from my spirit what must_have been a dream, I scanned more narrowly the real aspect of_the building . its principal feature seemed to_be that of an excessive antiquity . the discoloration of ages had_been great . minute fungi overspread the whole exterior, hanging in a fine tangled web- work from_the eaves . yet all this_was apart from any extraordinary dilapidation . no portion of_the masonry had fallen ; and there appeared to_be a wild inconsistency between its still perfect adaptation of parts, and_the crumbling condition of_the individual stones . in_this there_was much that reminded me of_the specious totality of old wood- work which_has rotted for long years in some neglected vault, with no disturbance from_the breath of_the external air . beyond this indication of extensive decay, however, the fabric gave little token of instability . perhaps the eye of ascrutinizing observer might_have discovered a barely perceptible fissure, which, extending from_the roof of_the building in front, made its way down the wall in a zigzag direction, until it became lost in_the sullen waters of_the tarn .

Noticing these things, I rode over a short causeway to_the house .a servant in waiting took my horse, and I entered the Gothic archway of_the hall .a valet, of stealthy step, thence conducted me, in silence, through many dark and intricate passages in my progress to_the studio of_his master . much that I encountered on_the way contributed, I_know not how, to heighten the vague sentiments of_which I_have already spoken . while the objects around me - while the carvings of_the ceilings, the sombre tapestries of_the walls, the ebon blackness of_the floors, and_the phantasmagoric armorial trophies which rattled as I strode, were but matters to_which, or to such as which, I had_been accustomed from my infancy - while I hesitated not to acknowledge how familiar was all this - I still wondered to_find how unfamiliar were the fancies which ordinary images were stirring up . on one_of_the staircases, I met the physician of_the family . his countenance, i_thought, wore a mingled expression of low cunning and perplexity . he accosted me with trepidation and passed on . the valet now threw open a door and ushered me into_the presence of_his master .

the room in_which I_found myself was very large and lofty . the windows were long, narrow, and pointed, and at so vast a distance from_the black oaken floor as to_be altogether inaccessible from within . feeble gleams of encrimsoned light made their way through_the trellissed panes, and served to render sufficiently distinct the more prominent objects around ; the eye, however, struggled in vain to reach the remoter angles of_the chamber, or the recesses of_the vaulted and fretted ceiling . dark draperies hung upon_the walls . the general furniture was profuse, comfortless, antique, and tattered . many books and musical instruments lay scattered about, but failed to_give any vitality to_the scene . I_felt that I breathed an atmosphere of sorrow . an air of stern, deep, and irredeemable gloom hung over and pervaded all .

upon my entrance, usher arose from a sofa on_which he had_been lying at full length, and greeted me with a vivacious warmth which had much in_it, I at first thought, of an overdone cordiality - of_the constrained effort of_the ennuy ; man of_the world .a glance, however, at his countenance, convinced me of_his perfect sincerity . we sat down ; and for some moments, while he spoke not, I gazed upon him with afeeling half of pity, half of awe . surely, man had never before so terribly altered, in so brief a period, as had Roderick usher ! it_was with difficulty that I_could bring myself to admit the identity of_the wan being before me with_the companion of_my early boyhood . yet the character of_his face had_been at all times remarkable .acadaverousness of complexion ; an eye large, liquid, and luminous beyond comparison ; lips somewhat thin and very pallid, but of a surpassingly beautiful curve ; a nose of a delicate Hebrew model, but with a breadth of nostril unusual in similar formations ; a finely moulded chin, speaking, in its want of prominence, of a want of moral energy; hair of a more than web- like softness and tenuity ; these features, with an inordinate expansion above the regions of_the temple, made up altogether a countenance not easily to_be forgotten . and now in_the mere exaggeration of_the prevailing character of_these features, and of_the expression they were wont to convey, lay so_much of change that I doubted to_whom I spoke . the now ghastly pallor of_the skin, and_the now miraculous lustre of_the eye, above all things startled and even awed me . the silken hair, too, had_been suffered to grow all unheeded, and as, in its wild gossamer texture, it floated rather than fell about_the face, I_could_not, even with effort, connect its arabesque expression with any idea of simple humanity .

in_the manner of_my friend i_was at once struck with an incoherence - an inconsistency ; and I soon found this to arise from a series of feeble and futile struggles to overcome an habitual trepidancy - an excessive nervous agitation . for something of_this nature I had indeed been prepared, no less by his letter, than by reminiscences of certain boyish traits, and by conclusions deduced from_his peculiar physical conformation and temperament . his action was alternately vivacious and sullen . his voice varied rapidly from a tremulous indecision ( when_the animal spirits seemed utterly in abeyance) to_that species of energetic concision - that abrupt, weighty, unhurried, and hollow-sounding enunciation - that leaden, self- balanced and perfectly modulated guttural utterance, which_may_be observed in_the lost drunkard, or the irreclaimable eater of opium, during the periods of_his most intense excitement .

it_was thus that he spoke of_the object of_my visit, of_his earnest desire to_see me, and of_the solace he expected me to afford him . he entered, at some length, into what he conceived to_be the nature of_his malady . it_was, he_said, a constitutional and a family evil, and one for_which he despaired to_find a remedy - amere nervous affection, he immediately added, which would undoubtedly soon pass off . it displayed itself in a host of unnatural sensations . some_of_these, as he detailed them, interested and bewildered me ; although, perhaps, the terms, and_the general manner of_the narration had their weight . he suffered much from a morbid acuteness of_the senses ; the most insipid food was alone endurable; he_could wear only garments of certain texture ; the odors of all flowers were oppressive ; his eyes were tortured by even a faint light ; and there were but peculiar sounds, and these from stringed instruments, which did_not inspire him with horror .

to an anomalous species of terror I_found him a bounden slave ." I_shall perish," said he, " I_must perish in_this deplorable folly . thus, thus, and not otherwise, shall I be lost .I dread the events of_the future, not in themselves, but in their results .I shudder at_the thought of any, even the most trivial, incident, which_may operate upon_this intolerable agitation of soul . I_have, indeed, no abhorrence of danger, except in its absolute effect - in terror . in_this unnerved - in_this pitiable condition - I_feel that_the period will sooner or later arrive when I_must abandon life and reason together, in some struggle with_the grim phantasm, fear ."

I learned, moreover, at intervals, and through broken and equivocal hints, another singular feature of_his mental condition . he_was enchained by certain superstitious impressions in regard to_the dwelling which he tenanted, and whence, for many years, he had never ventured forth - in regard to an influence whose supposititious force was conveyed in terms too shadowy here to_be re- stated - an influence which some peculiarities in_the mere form and substance of_his family mansion, had, by dint of long

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