On her wedding day, the speaker wears the ring and wreath, but her repeated “I am happy now” is a strained incantation. Her new husband’s vow strikes her like a death knell, and his voice seems to belong to the lover killed in battle. Drifting into a reverie, she stands at the churchyard and sighs to the dead man that she is happy. She confesses that her faith and heart are broken, then points to golden keys as proof of her joy. The poem ends with a desperate wish to awaken, fearing the evil step of marriage and that the forsaken dead may never be at peace. The mood is claustrophobically eerie: a bride smiling over a fractured soul, where the chant of happiness becomes a dirge.
Bridal Ballad — Summary
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 reassure me, And he kissed my pallid brow, While a reverie came o'er me, And to the churchyard 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 thus the plighted vow, And, though my faith be broken, And, though my heart be broken, Behold the golden keys That proves me happy now!
Would to 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.