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Lost Loves Day
“Prophet!” said I, “thing of evil!—prophet still, if bird or devil!—
By that Heaven that bends above us—by that God we both adore—
Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn,
It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore—
Clasp a rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore.”
Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.”
~ The Raven, Edgar Allan Poe, 1845
Like the “lost Lenore” who lingers forever in Poe’s The Raven, the Haunted Heart tartan is a testament to love that never fades — a devotion that outlives the pulse, circumstance, or fate. Haunting the quiet parlors of October’s suddenly dark nights, it whispers throughout the seasons but becomes prominent when summer's sunlight slips away and shadows claim the darker corners of the mind.
Through the weave drifts a palette of love, sorrow and grace: Midnight Plum, deep as shadowed memory; Crimson Wine, pulsing with the echo of a vanished heartbeat; and Old Magenta, the blush of pressed roses which will bloom no more. Ashen Lilac lingers like the faint smell of perfume on a cobweb lace while the faint radiance of Pumpkin Ember perpetually glows at the edges of memory.
The Victorians were fluent in the secret language of flowers — a sentimental code known as floriography, through which lovers and mourners alike sent silent messages. Among these blooms, the pansy held a special poignancy. Its name comes from the French pensée, meaning “thought,” and to send a pansy was to say, you are in my thoughts. The wild pansy, often called heart’s-ease, was believed to soothe the sorrows of unrequited or lost love — a fitting emblem for the Haunted Heart, where memory, longing, and beauty entwine like petals pressed between the pages of an old, forgotten letter. 💜 ❤️ 🤍 🧡 ⏳ 🗝️ ⌛ 🌹
Throughout the Romantic and Victorian eras, poets were captivated by the idea that love could transcend death — or be destroyed by it yet linger as a haunting presence. Their verses are filled with mourning rooms, fading letters, ghostly visitations, and hearts that refuse to rest. Whether expressed through the gothic melancholy of Edgar Allan Poe, the spiritual restraint of Christina Rossetti, or the aching tenderness of John Keats, these poems explore what happens when affection endures beyond the grave, when memory becomes a form of devotion, and when beauty itself is touched by loss.
“The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe (1845)
Perhaps the most iconic poem of haunted love, The Raven turns grief into ritual. The bereaved narrator, mourning his “lost Lenore,” is visited by a mysterious raven whose refrain — “Nevermore” — becomes a tolling bell for eternal loss. Poe fuses the supernatural with psychological despair: the ghostly bird is both a literal visitation and a manifestation of grief that will not fade. The poem’s gothic setting, musical cadence, and descent into madness make it a cornerstone of the theme of love surviving — and tormenting — beyond death.
“Annabel Lee” by Edgar Allan Poe (1849)
In this companion piece to The Raven, Poe transforms tragedy into lyrical devotion. Annabel Lee recounts the love between two young souls “in a kingdom by the sea,” so pure that even angels grew envious and caused her death. Yet the speaker insists their bond endures: “Neither the angels in Heaven above / Nor the demons down under the sea / Can ever dissever my soul from the soul / Of the beautiful Annabel Lee.” It is the quintessential anthem of undying, ghostly love — simple, musical, and mournfully beautiful.
“Remember” by Christina Rossetti (1849)
Rossetti’s Remember is a quiet, tender meditation on love’s endurance after death. Written as a sonnet, it begins as a plea — “Remember me when I am gone away” — but evolves into a paradox of selfless love: “Better by far you should forget and smile / Than that you should remember and be sad.” Unlike Poe’s obsessive grief, Rossetti’s approach is spiritual and resigned — love becomes sanctified through release, not haunting. It embodies the Victorian fascination with mourning and moral purity.
“When We Two Parted” by Lord Byron (1816)
Byron’s poem captures the raw pain of separation and emotional death. “When we two parted / In silence and tears,” it begins, and the rest of the poem dwells on the chill of a bond broken by betrayal and secrecy. The poem’s restrained, mournful tone and repeated cold imagery make it a haunting portrayal of love turned to ghostly memory while both lovers still live.
“Bright Star” by John Keats (1819)
Keats’s sonnet, written to Fanny Brawne, is both a love poem and a premonition of loss. The speaker longs to be steadfast as a star — eternal, watchful — yet humanly alive, “pillowed upon my fair love’s ripening breast.” Knowing his time is short, Keats fuses passion and mortality into one luminous ache, transforming love into an immortal vigil that endures beyond the body.
For more on the pansy as a symbol of remembrance in art, click the lady.