describethe mental and physical conditions of speaker at the beginning in the poem. what is he trying to forget?the raven

It seems as if he is grieving, trying to forget a loss of
a person. His mental state seems to be in that place between sleep and wakefulness as he
lets us know it is late at night, he is nodding, and nearly napping and it seems he's
into a book (one of the best ways many of us fall asleep). He is in front of a fire,
likely very warm, and his body quite comfortable in an easy chair although his mind is
not at all at ease.

You mention the beginning of the poem.
The whole poem is certainly about trying to forget someone who has passed, but the
beginning does use the word "forgotten" in reference to lore. Lore means ancient
literature or books. He may have been reading something that many have forgotten. His
intention in reading was to help him forget his sorrow, sorrow for the loss of someone
named Lenore.