Edgar Allan Poe

Bridal Ballad

The ring is on my hand,
⁠And the wreath is on my brow;
Satins and jewels grand
Are all at my command,
⁠And I am happy now.

And my lord he loves me well;
⁠But, when first he breathed his vow
I felt my bosom swell—
For the words rang as a knell,
And the voice seemed his who fell
In the battle down the dell,
⁠And who is happy now.

But he spoke to re-assure me,
⁠And he kissed my pallid brow
While a reverie came o'er me,
And to the church-yard bore me,
And I sighed to him before me,
Thinking him dead D'Elormie,
⁠"Oh, I am happy now!"

And thus the words were spoken,
⁠And this the plighted vow,
And, though my faith be broken,
And, though my heart be broken
Behold the golden token
⁠That proves me happy now!

Would God I could awaken!
⁠For I dream I know not now,
And my soul is sorely shaken
Lest an evil step be taken,—
Lest the dead who is forsaken
⁠May not be happy now.