Edgar Allen Poe, an American writer, was born in 1809.
埃德加·爱伦·坡是一个美国作家，出生于1809年。
His parents were actors.
他的父母都是演员。
Edgar was a baby when his father left the family.
埃德加还是婴儿的时候，他的父亲离开了家。
He was two years old when his mother died.
当他两岁时，他的母亲去世了。
He was taken into the home of a wealthy businessman named John Allen.
他被一个名叫约翰·艾伦的富商领养到家里。
He then received his new name - Edgar Allen Poe.
于是有了一个新的名字——埃德加·爱伦·坡。
As a young man, Poe attended the University of Virginia.
年轻的时候，坡就读于弗吉尼亚大学。
He was a good student, but he liked to drink alcohol and play card games for money.
他是一个优秀的学生，但他喜欢喝酒，还热衷于玩纸牌来赚钱。
As an unskilled game player, he often lost money.
因为牌技不佳，他经常输钱。
Since he couldn't pay off his gambling debt, he left university and began working for magazines.
因为无法偿还赌债，他离开了大学，开始在杂志社工作。
He worked hard, yet he was not well-paid, or well-known.
他工作很努力，但是没有得到很好的报酬，且默默无闻。
At the age of 27, he got married.
在27岁时，他结婚了。
For a time it seemed that Poe would find some happiness,
一度坡似乎找到了幸福，
but his wife was sick for most of their marriage, and died in 1847.
但他的妻子在婚姻生活的多数时候都是生着病的，而后在1847年去世了
Through all his crises, Poe produced many stories and poems which appeared in different publications,
通过他遇到的所有危难，坡创作了许多故事和诗歌，并出现在不同的出版物中，
yet he didn't become famous until 1845, when his poem, The Raven, was published.
但当时还未出名。直到1845年，他的诗歌《乌鸦》出版，他才声名大噪。
There is a question, however, about Poe's importance in American literature.
然而，有一个问题是，坡对于美国文学到底有多重要。
Some critics say Poe was one of America's best writers,
一些评论家认为坡是美国最好的作家之一，
and even had a great influence on many French writers, but others disagree.
甚至对许多法国作家产生了很大的影响，但另外一些人不同意。
They say Poe's work is difficult to understand
他们认为坡的作品很难懂，
and most of his writing describes many unpleasant situations and events.
其中大部分描写的是许多不愉快的情境和事件。
Edgar Allen Poe died in 1849 when he was 40 years old.
埃德加·爱伦·坡于1849年去世，享年40岁。
It is said that he was found dead after days of heavy drinking.
据说他是多日酗酒后被发现死亡的。