Classic Poem

That night, and the whole of the next sad day,
Like a lion whose paw is upon his prey,
He waited and watch'd by his fair dead wife:
For, “To plague me, in death,” they heard him say,
“She is hiding, but cannot escape that way,
And again I shall catch her returning to life.”
Not a vassal ventured to speak or stir:
And the castle was fill'd with the silence of her,
And the fear of those two in the turret alone;
One, because she was dead, and the other one
Because he lived yet, tho' he made no sign.
But, at last, he arose, took bread and wine,
And ate and drank. And the Seneschal said,
“Good fellows all, hang sable in hall!
For the worst hath fallen that can befall.
Our lord is alive, and our lady is dead.”