the reader to see Helen as someone shaped by the highest form of beauty known in history Her beauty is not common It belongs to the world of ancient art Greece and Rome as Cultural Symbols Poe directly mentions two great centers of the ancient world He writes To the glory that was Greece And the grandeur that was Rome These two lines are important Greece stands for poetry philosophy art music and learning Rome stands for power dignity and noble tradition When Helen brings Poe back to these images she becomes more than a woman She becomes a doorway to ancient culture She reminds him of a golden age when beauty wisdom and strength were united Through Helen s image Poe returns to that world Helen as a Naiad Figure Poe also uses mythological names He says Helen Thy Naiad airs have brought me home A Naiad is a water spirit in Greek myth Naiads are gentle graceful and connected with purity By using this name Poe gives Helen a soft flowing charm She becomes part of nature She becomes a spirit figure who brings peace This image deepens her beauty It is not only physical It is fresh calm and sacred like clear water Helen as Psyche Poe later calls Helen Psyche He writes Ah Psyche from the regions which Are Holy Land Psyche in Greek myth is the soul She represents inner life emotion and spiritual truth By giving Helen this name Poe shows that she reaches the poet s heart Helen is not only a cultural symbol She is also emotional and spiritual She becomes a healing force The mention of the Holy Land adds purity and hope Helen carries both myth and sacred feeling Classical Light and Peace In the final stanza Poe adds a new classical image He says Lo in yon brilliant window-niche How statue-like I see thee stand The agate lamp within thy hand He shows Helen standing in a window niche with an agate lamp This lamp is like something from ancient temples It gives a soft and precious light This light symbolizes spiritual purity It shows Helen as a guide She leads the poet out of darkness She becomes a classical statue holding a sacred lamp Union of All Classical References All these images make Helen a complete classical figure She is a Greek beauty with hyacinth hair She is Roman greatness with grandeur She is a Naiad with soft flowing grace She is Psyche the soul She holds an agate lamp like a sacred priestess Through these references Poe idealizes Helen He turns her into a symbol of culture beauty history and inner peace In To Helen Poe s classical allusions deepen the poem They make Helen a bridge between the ancient world and the poet s modern world She becomes the spirit of art the keeper of beauty and the guide of the tired soul Through Greece Rome Naiads and Psyche Poe celebrates Helen as a timeless symbol of pure and perfect beauty nbsp