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The Poet and the Pendulum is a song by the Finnish Symphonic Power Metal band Nightwish, from the 2007 album Dark Passion Play. It is the longest song on the album, at 13:54, and is comprised of 5 main sections. "White lands of Empathica", "Home", "The Pacific", "Dark Passion Play" and "Mother & Father".

The song is based on the short story The Pit and the Pendulum by Edgar Allan Poe where the protagonist is bound to a board as a large, sharp pendulum swings slowly drawing closer and closer to his heart. This likeness is shown at a number of points, firstly the similarities in title show this likeness. The main feature on the cover of Dark Passion Play is a large pendulum, the picture next to the song lyrics in the sleeve notes features a person tied down as this pendulum swings just above them and the fourth section of the song ends with a sound that suggests the pendulum slicing it's victim which is followed by a slowing, fading heartbeat.

It is the first time that Nightwish have put a song of over 10 minutes at the start of an album. The other two songs that it is compared with are the two other over 10 minute songs "Ghost Love Score" and "Beauty of the Beast", both of which were placed towards the end of their respective albums.