POE 283 POETBY the United States Military Academy, 1830-1831; and subsequently was edi- tor of the "Southern Literary Messen- ger," 1835-1837; of the "Gentleman's Magazine," 1839-1840; of "Graham's Magazine," 1841-1842; and of the "Broadway Journal," 1845. He also contributed to other periodicals. He projected a magazine to be called "Lit- EDGAK ALLAN POE erary America," and to aid it, lectured in New York City and through the South, 1848-1849. A complete list of his works in book form includes: "Tamerlane and Other Poems" (Boston, 1827) ; "Al Aar- af, Tamerlane, and Minor Poems" (Balti- more, 1829) ; "Poems" (2d ed., including many poems now first published, New York, 1831). "The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym, of Nantucket" (New York, 1838); "The Conchologist's First Book" (Philadelphia, 1839); "Tales of the Gro- tesque and Arabesque" (Philadelphia, 1840); "The Prose Romances of Edgar A. Poe" (Philadelphia, 1843); "The Raven and Other Poems" (New York, 1845) ; "Mesmerism: in Articulo Mortis" (London, 1846) ; "Eureka, a Prose Poem" (New York, 1848). After his death there were republished "The Liberati: Some Honest Opinions about Autorial Merits and Demerits, with Occasional Words of Personality," etc., edited by R. W. Griswold (New York, 1850); "Tales of Mystery, Imagination, and Hu- mor; and Poems," edited by Henry Vize- telly (London, 1852). The definitive edi- tion is the one edited by E. C. Stedman and G. E. Woodberry (10 vols., Chicago, 1894-1895). Poe died in Baltimore, Md., Oct. 7, 1849. POELCAPELLE, a village N. E. of Langemarck, about 10 miles N. of Ypres, in Belgium, which was the scene of many battles during the World War. It is little more than a cluster of houses at the crossing of several roads of strategic importance and dur- ing the third battle of Ypres in Octo- ber and November, 1917, was bitterly fought for. British troops succeeded in taking it and advancing half a mile N. E. of it during that battle, the 53d Bri- gade of the Eighteenth Division carry- ing the point known as Meunier Hill after hard fighting. POET LAUREATE, an office in the household of the sovereigns of Great Britain, the appellation having its ori- gin in a custom of the English universi- ties, which continued to 1512, of pre- senting a laurel leaf to graduates in rhetoric and versification, the king's "laureate" being a graduated rhetorician in the service of the king. The first ap- pointment of a poet laureate dates from the reign of Charles II., the first patent being granted in 1670. It was formerly the duty of the poet laureate to write an ode on the birthday of the monarch, but this custom has been discontinued since the reign of George III. Among those who have held this office may be mentioned Dryden, Southey^ Wordsworth, and Tennyson. Robert Bridges was ap- pointed in 1913. POETRY, that one of the fine arts which has for its object the creation of intellectual pleasure by the use of imag- inative and passionate language, which is generally, though not necessarily, formed^ in regular measure; the art of producing illusions of the imagination by rneans of language. Also poetical, imaginative^ or passionate language or compositions, whether expressed rhyth- mically or in prose. Thus, many parts of the prose translations of the Bible are genuine poetry. In its widest sense, poetry may be defined as that which is the product of the imaginative powers and fancy, and which appeals to these powers in others. The ancient Hindu Vedas consists in large measure of rhythmical hymns. Hindu poetry reached its highest devel- opment in the epics of the Ramayan and the Mahabharat. Specimens of that of the Hebrews, made conspicuous to the English reader by being printed in sep- arate lines in the revised version, are found in Gen. iv: 23-24, ix; 25-27, xxvii:
