Like those Nicéan barks of yore, 

That gently, o'er a perfumed sea, 

   The weary, way-worn wanderer bore 

   To his own native shore. 

On desperate seas long wont to roam, 

   Thy hyacinth hair, thy classic face, 

Thy Naiad airs have brought me home 

   To the glory that was Greece,       

   And the grandeur that was Rome. 

Lo! in yon brilliant window-niche 

   How statue-like I see thee stand, 

The agate lamp within thy hand! 

   Ah, Psyche, from the regions which 

   Are Holy-Land! 

Because I feel that, in the Heavens above,

The angels, whispering to one another,

Can find, among their burning terms of love,

None so devotional as that of “Mother,”

Therefore by that dear name I long have called you—

You who are more than mother unto me,

And fill my heart of hearts, where Death installed you

In setting my Virginia's spirit free.

My mother—my own mother, who died early,

Was but the mother of myself; but you

Are mother to the one I loved so dearly,

And thus are dearer than the mother I knew

By that infinity with which my wife

Was dearer to my soul than its soul-life.

   The weary, way-worn wanderer bore " (Poe, Line 3-4)
This draws an image of an open sea. The speaker tries to show uncertainty before he met Helen.

2. Simile- a comparison using the word 'like' or 'as'.
 "Helen, thy beauty is to me 

   Like those Nicéan barks of yore," (Poe, Line 1-2) 
The author compares Helen's beauty to Nicean barks of yore using the word 'like'.

3. Alliteration- The repetition of the words that all start with the same sound.
 " The weary, way-worn wanderer bore" (Poe, Line 4)
This adds to the structure of the poem, as the words give a repetition of the same sound.

4. Metaphor- a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable.
 "The weary, way-worn wanderer bore 

   To his own native shore." (Poe, Line 4-5)

The narrator says he roamed the "desperate seas" for a long time to show the difficulty and hopelessness of his life before he met Helen.  

5. Personification- the attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something nonhuman.
  "The weary, way-worn wanderer bore 

   To his own native shore." (Poe, Line 4-5)

When the speaker says "desperate" he means "hopeless," his giving a non-human thing (seas) human qualities (emotions). 

6. Allusion- an expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect or passing reference.
 "Thy hyacinth hair, thy classic face, 

Thy Naiad airs have brought me home." (Poe, Line 7-8)

The poem reminds us of the stories of Apollo and Hyacinth. The word makes us think of death and sadness, but also of beauty and rebirth. It is an allusion to Greek mythology.

 

The angels, whispering to one another," (Poe, Lines 1-2) He describes his love towards her. "Was but the mother of myself; but you are mother to the one I loved so dearly, And thus are dearer than the mother I knew." (Poe, Lines 10-13) His love for her was beyond greater than his love for his biological mother. The structure of the poem is Rhyme scheme ABABCDCDECECFF. The rhymes are found every other sentence. For example, "Because I feel that, in the Heavens above, The angels, whispering to one another,

Can find, among their burning terms of love", (Poe, lines 1-3) lines 1 and 3 rhyme with the words "above" and "love". The meaning of the poem is that you can love someone, so much as much as your biological mother. Also, that you can have a mother like figure who isn't directly related to you.The poem was written for his mother-in-law, Maria, whom he thought as closely as his biological mother. He loved her because after his mother passed away, Maria took him in and loved him. 

 "And fill my heart of hearts, where Death installed you" (Poe, Lines 5-6)

Death, something nonhuman, is keeping the author stuck in one place, which is a human-like action. 

2. Hyperbole- exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.

" by that infinity by which with which my wife was dearer." (Poe, Lines 13)

His love towards the motherly-figure is "infinite", which shows his love towards her is unmeasurable. 

3. Repetition- The purposeful re-use of words and phrases for an effect. 

 "My mother—my own mother.. the mother of myself" (Poe, Lines 11-12)

The author repeats the word "mother" in order to re-emphasize the significance of the woman. She was like a mother to him.

4. Apostrophe- Speaking directly to a real or imagined listener or inanimate object; addressing that person or thing by name.

 "Therefore by that dear name I long have called you—

You who are more than mother unto me"  (Poe, Lines 5-6) 

The author directly addresses his mother-in-law and even addresses her as "mother'. 

5. Metaphor- a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable.

 "By that infinity with which my wife

Was dearer to my soul than its soul-life." 

(Poe, Lines 13-14)

The motherly-figure meant the whole world to him. He loved her very much. 

6. Cliche- a phrase or opinion that is overused and betrays a lack of original thought
 "My mother—my own mother.. the mother of myself" (Poe, Lines 11-12)
He chooses to describe his love towards her by saying his like his mother. Motherly figure typically symbolizes warmth and love and the author is trying to convey this through describing her as mother.   

- "To Helen : Poetry Out Loud." To Helen : Poetry Out Loud. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2017.
- "Edgar Allan Poe." Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, 01 Aug. 2016. Web. 06 Apr. 2017.