The Fourth Day of Poe: The Bridal Ballad

The Bridal Ballad has always has always haunted me.

The poem is from a woman's perspective as she is trying to convince herself that she is happy to be married. In true Poe fashion there is more to the story than this. The woman's true love is D'Elormie, who is not the man she is marrying. Her true love is dead and each line of the poem is her trying to convince herself that this is the right thing to do.
If only she could believe it herself.

"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!"

In order to go through with the marriage she seems to go into a trance and sees the groom as D'Elormie, only to come to her senses  and feel a chill at the thought of having broken faith with her beloved. Although The Bridal Ballad contains no overt supernatural elements, underneath is a great sense of unease and the words of her being carried to the church-yard are reminiscent of a casket being carried to a funeral service. For this woman they are most likely to her one and the same.

Although Poe dedicates a great deal of his writings to a strong female presence, it is rare to have the narrator actually be that woman.

The reason I identify so strongly with this poem is the version of it that soprano Hayley Westenra performed in the Merchant of Venice film. The harp, the gentle vocals, and the melody turn what could have been a simple mournful poem into a haunting scenario where one is not entirely sure if more is occurring then what is at first evident.



The song can be purchased on itunes from The Merchant of Venice soundtrack as an individual track.