Лигейя

           Icannot,formysoul,rememberhow,when,orevenpreciselywhere,IfirstbecameacquaintedwiththeladyLigeia. Longyearshavesinceelapsed,andmymemoryisfeeblethroughmuchsuffering. Or,perhaps,Icannotnowbringthesepointstomind,because,intruth,thecharacterofmybeloved,herrarelearning,hersingularyetplacidcastofbeauty,andthethrillingandenthrallingeloquenceofherlowmusicallanguage,madetheirwayintomyheartbypacessosteadilyandstealthilyprogressivethattheyhavebeenunnoticedandunknown. YetIbelievethatImetherfirstandmostfrequentlyinsomelarge,old,decayingcityneartheRhine. Ofherfamily—Ihavesurelyheardherspeak. Thatitisofaremotelyancientdatecannotbedoubted. Ligeia! Ligeia! instudiesofanaturemorethanallelseadaptedtodeadenimpressionsoftheoutwardworld,itisbythatsweetwordalone—byLigeia—thatIbringbeforemineeyesinfancytheimageofherwhoisnomore. Andnow,whileIwrite,arecollectionflashesuponmethatIhaveneverknownthepaternalnameofherwhowasmyfriendandmybetrothed,andwhobecamethepartnerofmystudies,andfinallythewifeofmybosom. WasitaplayfulchargeonthepartofmyLigeia? orwasitatestofmystrengthofaffection,thatIshouldinstitutenoinquiriesuponthispoint? orwasitratheracapriceofmyown—awildlyromanticofferingontheshrineofthemostpassionatedevotion? Ibutindistinctlyrecallthefactitself—whatwonderthatIhaveutterlyforgottenthecircumstanceswhichoriginatedorattendedit? And,indeed,ifevershe,thewanandthemisty-wingedAshtophetofidolatrousEgypt,presided,astheytell,overmarriagesill-omened,thenmostsurelyshepresidedovermine. 

           Thereisonedeartopic,however,onwhichmymemoryfallsmenot. ItisthepersonofLigeia. Instatureshewastall,somewhatslender,and,inherlatterdays,evenemaciated.