1. 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,

Here is a ring, as token

     That I am happy now! —

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, —

Lest the dead who is forsaken

     May not be happy now.