A man waits outside a woman’s house, knocking and listening for her footsteps. The hollow echo of the door matches the emptiness he feels, but the glow of streetlamps and the memory of her eyes keep pulling hope forward. As the night grows darker and the lamps go out, he wanders between eager hope and uneasy doubt.
Then a car sweeps past and he spots her hidden in the shadow. She hurries to the same door where he had waited, slips inside, and shuts it behind her without acknowledging him. The title, “Perfidy,” makes the meaning clear: this feels like betrayal. The speaker has been faithful in his waiting, only to be shut out. The mood is lonely, dim, and quietly suspenseful—a night city full of longing, suspicion, and the ache of love that may not be returned.