Sonnet – To Science By Edgar Allan Poe

Science! true daughter of Old Time thou art!
Who alterest all things with thy peering eyes.
Why preyest thou thus upon the poet’s heart,
Vulture, whose wings are dull realities?
How should he love thee? or how deem thee wise?
Who wouldst not leave him in his wandering
To seek for treasure in the jeweled skies,
Albeit he soared with an undaunted wing?
Hast though not dragged Diana from her car?
And driven the Hamadryad from the wood
To seek a shelter in some happier star?
Hast thou not torn the Naiad from her flood,
The Elfin from the green grass, and from me
The summer dream beneath the tamarind tree?

“Sonnet – to Science” is a poem written by Edgar Allan Poe lamenting over the perilous nature of scientific advancement and the damaging implications it brings for the world of poetry and art. Poe commences the poem by stating that science is, in fact, the daughter or the product of the old time. He then proceeds to compare science with a vulture and asks why science does not emit the charm and beauty that poetry does. He also questions how a poet is to love science and consider it to be wise. Science is essentially seeking for the treasures in the jeweled skies similar to the poetry; the poet is contemplating why science is snatching up the answers faster than poetry. Science has also driven Diana from her car along with the Hamadryad from the wood. Poe also claims that science has torn the naiads and the elfs from the green grass along with Poe, himself, form his summer dream.

The sonnet seems to be discussing an inconsistency between the realm of poetry and science. The general structure of this poem is organized in a sonnet and follows a subtle yet consistent rhythm of iambic pentameter; the poem also has the following rhyme scheme: abab cdcd efef gg. The first line makes it explicitly obvious that the poem is about science as it opens with an interjection: “Science!” The rest of the line declares science as being the “true daughter” of “old time,” which essentially states that science is not a new concept; it is something that has been developing since a very long time, and therefore, it may not simply be dismissed. The poet also employs apostrophe here as he addresses science in a direct fashion; this utilization of an apostrophe helps create the tone for the rest of the poem, which is basically referring to and speaking to science directly.

The second line observes how science, with its “peering eyes” or the scientific method, has altered our perceptions of the world. The readers find out after reading the next two lines, that the peering eyes belong to a “vulture, whose wings are dull realities.” Poe also states that the vulture preys “upon the poet’s heart.” By comparing science to a vulture with dull realities, Poe endeavors to convey that science supports an idea which lacks a sense of charisma and allure. The poet is, in a way, asking why, with its dismal truths, science desires to attack the heart of poetry. Lines 5-8 continue the poet’s rhetorical questions, and ask how the poet is to love science and believe that it is wise. With this question, Poe implies that he truly cannot accept science in the world of poetry. The poem moves forward as the poet contemplates why science is endeavoring to discover the answers to the same questions as the poet himself. Perpetuating the analogy between science and vulture, the poet presents this question with a certain tone of concern and apprehension as he believes that science is stealing all the treasures, similar to a raptor, before the poet does.

From lines 9-14, Poe accuses science for a variety of misdeeds which he believes are the effects of science. The first accusation, which is dragging Diana from her car, is made by referring to an allusion from Greek mythology. Diana, a Roman goddess of hunting, is known to ride the moon across the sky. However, science proved that the moon is simply a lifeless and unconscious rock instead of being a chariot for Diana. The next line once again makes an allusion to Greek mythology and accuses science of driving the Hamadryad from the wood; the Hamadryad is a creature that is born bonded to a certain tree. Science has traced out the entire map of trees to the cellular components essentially compelling the Hamadryad to leave the wood. Similar to these examples, the next two accusations follow the same pattern of science driving out mythological beings, such as Naiad and Elfin, from their natural habitats. For the last line of the poem, the poet refers to himself directly using “me” and places himself in this category of mythological creatures. The entire poem depicts the poet’s/Poe’s concern and fear that the ways of thinking that science is motivating will make the poetic philosophy obsolete and archaic.