A Ballad Of Hell

"My poppet welcome to your bed."

"Is Malespina here?"

"Not he ! Tomorrow he must wed

His cousin Blanche, my dear ! "

"You lie, he died with me tonight."

"Not he ! It was a plot." . . . "You lie."

"My dear, I never lie outright."

"We died at midnight, he and I."

The devil went. Without a groan

She, gathered up in one fierce prayer,

Took root in hell's midst all alone,

And waited for him there.

She dared to make herself at home

Amidst the wail, the uneasy stir.

The blood-stained flame that filled the dome,

Scentless and silent, shrouded her.

How long she stayed I cannot tell;

But when she felt his perfidy,

She marched across the floor of hell;

And all the damned stood up to see.