STANZA 15 Footnotes:
1. prophet - one who
foretells future events.
2. Tempter - one who
entices another (in this case the Devil. New testament St. Matthew 4:3-5
)
3. tempest - violent
storm
4. desolate - barren,
lifeless, devoid of inhabitants.
5. undaunted - not discouraged.
6. balm in Gilead -
Poe paraphrases a passage from the Old Testament in the Holy Bible
(Jeremiah 9:22) wherein God says to Jeremiah "Is there no balm in Gilead;
is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter
of my
people recovered?" loosely translated meaning - why, if the inhabitants
of
Gilead have the means to heal, why do they not heal their sick.
(see "Additional Notes 2")