Which Romantic poet wrote 'Annabel Lee'?

The Romantic poet who wrote “Annabel Lee” was Edgar Allan Poe.

“Annabel Lee” was Poe’s last complete poem and was probably composed in May 1849, shortly before his death. Its narrator remembers a love that began in a “kingdom by the sea” and claims that jealous angels caused Annabel Lee’s death. The poem’s central idea is that love survives even death, a theme closely associated with Poe’s haunting late verse.

The poem was first published after Poe died. Rufus Wilmot Griswold printed it in a newspaper obituary on October 9, 1849, while the first authorized magazine appearance followed in January 1850. Several versions circulated, creating small differences in wording and in the final line.

Readers often assume Annabel Lee must represent one specific woman, especially Poe’s wife, Virginia. Virginia is a plausible inspiration, but no identity has been proven. Other proposed inspirations include Sarah Elmira Royster and Sarah Helen Whitman. The poem’s authorship itself is not disputed: it is unmistakably one of Poe’s works.