In this poem, the woman is named Lenore. There are speculations that Lenore might be his wife or mother. Virginia was dying in the next room while Poe was writing this. The speaker was very attached to Lenore.
The poem explains how it was a dark December evening and the speaker was trying to distract himself by the lost of his loved one, Lenore. All of a sudden, he heard a noise and someone was knocking on his door. He asked for pardon and said “Sir,” said I, “or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore; But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping,