The Mammoth Squash

Most people who put up websites devoted to Poe and his works seem to have missed one of my favourites, which appears in my copy of The Tales And Poems of Edgar A. Poe, Vol. II (published by Thomas Y. Crowell & Co. in 1909). For the perusal and enjoyment of those internet surfers with tastes similar to my own, I quote it (and the text which follows) verbatim (barring typos) from the book.

The Mammoth Squash

By Edgar A. Poe.

[W. M. Griswold's Correspondence of R. W. Griswold, p. 200]

Green and specked with spots of golden,
Never since the ages olden  
Since the days of Cain and Abel,
Never such a vegetable,
So with odors sweetest laden
Thus in our halls appearance made in.
Who- oh! who in kindness sent thee
To afford my soul nepenthe?

Rude men seeing thee, say "Gosh!
'T is a most enormous squash!"
But the one who peers within,
Knowledge of himself to win,
  Says, while total silence reigns,
Silence, from the Stygian shore  
(Grim silence, darkling o'er)
"This perchance be not the skull
Of Arthur Cleveland Coxe so dull  
  Its streaked, yellow flesh   his brains."

Note.

The Mammoth Squash is prefaced by the following words (Griswold's Correspondance, pp. 198-200): "In October, 1845, the literary world was amused by a clever article in T. Dunn English's Magazine, The Aristidean, a part of which I reprint as it indicates, more or less accurately, the prevailing opinion of the authors mentioned.

"Anxious to present our readers with the best specimens of the poetry of this country, we addressed notes to various of our poets, requesting them to furnish us, without charge, the means of fulfilling our desire. This, we conceived, to be a very modest request. To our surprise, some of these notes were returned, and others retained, but no reply made. To some we received answers, with the required poems. We print, below, the whole of the latter. Our readers will enjoy these sublime effusions.'"

Then follow letters and poems from J. Pierpont, C. J. Peterson, Geo. P. Morris ad J. G. Whittier, with the following burlesque:

"New York City, Sept. 28, 1845. "My dear Sir: For old acquaintance' sake I comply with your request; but your attempt will be a failure. Reasoning a priori, I could demonstrate that it cannot succeed. But I will not waste my logic on an obstinate man. "Your obedient servant, E. A. Poe

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