Lines on Ale

by Edgar Allan Poe

Poe may have written this poem at Washington Tavern in Lowell, Massachusetts in 1848 to pay his drinking tab. The original copy hung on the wall of the tavern until about 1920. What a shame, the tavern's been replaced by a Dunkin' Donuts.

An illustration for the story Lines on Ale by the author Edgar Allan Poe — John French Sloan, McSorley's Bar, 1912

Filled with mingled cream and amber,
I will drain that glass again.
Such hilarious visions clamber
Through the chamber of my brain.
Quaintest thoughts, queerest fancies
Come to life and fade away.
What care I how time advances;
I am drinking ale today.

Lines on Ale was featured as The Short Story of the Day on Wed, Apr 07, 2021

Lines on Ale is featured in our collection of 100 Great Poems and Drink Poems

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