Through the first two lines of this stanza, "On desperate seas long wont to roam,/Thy hyacinth hair, thy classic face," it is obvious that it is Helen that goes on this journey. And in this case, it is a journey to heaven after her death. The poet, Poe, is then left with the quest he had yet to make. It has been said by critics that the poem "doubles back on itself since his recognition, in "To Helen," of the quest he had still to make is actually a form of his making it." ("Edgar Allan Poe, Symbolism in His Works).
About a year later, Jane died and caused what would only be the first of Poe's heartaches. The following summer, Poe fell in love with Elmira Royster, who he would then become engaged to. In the same year, he enrolled in the University of Virginia. However, he quickly piled up gambling debts and was forced to leave school before the end of his freshman year. In this same year, he also suffered the second heartache of his life when his engagement to Elmira was broken off. He returned home and learned that his adoptive mother had died of Consumption, and his adoptive father, John, no longer had intention of supporting him.
Poe then left the home of his childhood for what would be the last time, as John would die shortly there after. He joined the army for a few years and was then admitted to West Point Military Academy. He did not succeed there either however, and was discharged only a few months after his admission because of his disobedience and neglect of duty. After his discharge from West Point, his life continued to go down hill because although he worked diligently on becoming a writer, he lost jobs at several magazines. During this trying time, Poe lived with his Aunt, and eventually fell in love with his thirteen-year-old cousin, Virginia Clemm. After her fourteenth birthday, Poe asked for Virginia's hand in marriage, and upon his Aunt's permission, the two were wed.