Poetry · Chapter
The Bridal Ballad explained
A bride reflects on her wedding day, outwardly expressing happiness while inwardly haunted by the memory of a former lover who died in battle.
What happens
A bride reflects on her wedding day, outwardly expressing happiness while inwardly haunted by the memory of a former lover who died in battle. Her vows to her new lord feel like a knell, and she fears the dead man may not be happy now.
Themes in this chapter
Loss and Grief
The bride grieves her dead lover D'Elormie even as she marries another, her happiness a mask for sorrow.
Dreams vs. Reality
The bride's waking life is a dreamlike state; she wishes to awaken from the nightmare of her broken faith.
Death and Mortality
Death intrudes on the wedding through memory of the fallen soldier, and the bride fears for the dead man's happiness.
Characters to notice
Key passages
“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.”
I wear the wedding ring and crown, dressed in luxury, and I declare I am happy.
The bride's opening assertion of happiness is immediately undercut by the poem's darker undertones.
“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.”
His vows sounded like a funeral bell, and his voice reminded me of the one who died in battle—and who is now supposedly happy in death.
The bride conflates her new husband's voice with her dead lover's, revealing her unresolved grief.
“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.”
I wish I could wake from this nightmare; I am terrified that my betrayal might mean the dead man I abandoned is not at peace.
The bride's final plea reveals her guilt and fear that her dead lover's soul suffers because of her remarriage.