In Edgar Allan Poe's “The Raven,” the raven repeatedly says “Nevermore.”
The poem follows a grieving narrator who is mourning Lenore on a December night. After hearing a mysterious tapping, he opens the window and a raven flies into the chamber, perching above the door on a bust of Pallas Athena. When the narrator asks the bird its name, its only reply is “Nevermore.”
The word becomes increasingly disturbing as the narrator asks questions about lost hopes, relief from grief, and whether he will see Lenore again. Because the raven appears to know only this one response, the poem leaves open whether the bird is consciously cruel or merely repeating a phrase learned from a former unhappy owner.
Poe selected “Nevermore” for its mournful sound and its ability to intensify the poem’s rhythm and emotional pressure. “The Raven” was first published in January 1845 and quickly made Poe a national literary celebrity. Lenore is the lost beloved; she is not the word spoken by the bird.