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BY E. A. POE.
The ring is on my hand,
And the wreath is on my brow —
Satins and jewels grand,
And many a rood of land,
Are all at my command,
And I am happy now!
He has loved me long and well,
And, when he breathed his vow,
I felt my bosom swell,
For — the words were his who fell
In the battle down the dell,
And who is happy now!
And he spoke to re-asure me,
And he kissed my pallid brow —
But a reverie came o’re me,
And to the church-yard bore me,
And I sighed to him before me,
“O, I am happy now!”
And thus they said I plighted
An irrevocable vow —
And my friends are all delighted
That his love I have requited —
And my mind is much benighted
If I am not happy now!
Lo! the ring is on my hand,
And the wreath is on my brow —
Satins and jewels grand,
And many a rood of land,
Are all at my command,
And I must be happy now!
I have spoken — I have spoken —
They have registered the 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 how!
And my soul is sorely shaken,
Lest an evil step be taken,
And the dead who is forsaken
May not be happy now!
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Notes:
It has been noted that this is a great rarity in Poe's works, for the speaker is a woman. Readers of this poem should also refer to Poe's earlier “Song.”
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[S:0 - SLM, 1837] - Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore - Works - Poems - Bridal Ballad (Text-02b)