Israfel"Israfel" is a fascinating poem, the beginning of which was first written by Poe during his days at West Point College. (Allen 233) The poem itself is in direct contrast to Poe's usual poetry, which usually deals with death and dark thoughts or other melancholy and gothic ideas. Poe's idea that the death of a beautiful woman is the most poetic of all subjects is here, nowhere to be found. This proves that Poe, when he was so inclined, could actually write about something other than opium-induced nightmares and paranoid grieving men who are scared to death by sarcastic, talkative crows. In addition to "Israfel", Poe's other poems, "To Helen", as well as "Annabel Lee" and others, are practically unrecognizable to the everyday reader as works by Edgar Allan Poe. His name is usually associated with his tales of horror and the macabre. His only poem, "The Raven", a work dealing with a man's steady decline into madness, is probably his most recognizable piece of poetry. A situation which I consider unfortunate, considering that the aforementioned are in most cases equivalent to "The Crow". Scholars have bestowed on Edgar Allan Poe the mantle of "horror writer" a crown that does him a great disservice considering the wide variety of works he wrote and the passion that drove him throughout his writing. It is this passion that is evident in "Israfel." The poem itself draws heavily on Arabic and Oriental literature, subjects that fascinated Poe. (Allen 249) Supernatural elements, which are strong in all of Poe's works and a basic concept of all Romantics, are represented here, as is heaven itself. The poem is mystical in nature and is a praise of inspiration, represented by the angel Israfel, who dwells in heaven and sings so well that the stars themselves must stop and listen. Poe's note on the text itself is taken from the Quran and reads thus: "And the angel Israfel, whose heartstrings are a lute, and who has the sweetest voice of all God's creatures: the Quran." Coleridge's, "Kubla Khan", in British literature, is similar to "Israfel", in that both offer a heavenly place of the "ideal". Israfel seems to represent a sort of muse for Poe. He sits in heaven strumming his lyre and the abundance of his voice is transmitted to earth, where Poe sits waiting for the awakening of emotions..