The wedded girl exclaim'd, 'I'll hide, I'll hide!' And so they sought her gaily far and near, Till, first in wonder, then in mortal fear, Hour after hour they look'd for the lost bride. Oh! would she peep from out the laurel-walk, Or from yon pleached roses nod and smile, We would forgive her all this mournful talk And sad surmise, nor chide her girlish guile. Years pass'd, long years! when in an ancient chest, Whose heavy lid had dropp'd upon its spring, They found the object of a bygone quest, A skeleton in bridal wreath and ring; And recognized, with hearts too full to speak, The mystery of that fatal 'Hide and Seek'. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THE PASSIONATE SHEPHERD: PASTORAL 3. THE HAPPY COUNTRYMAN by NICHOLAS BRETON BIRTHDAY OF DANIEL WEBSTER by OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES BELISARIUS by HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW THE OLD MAN'S COMFORTS AND HOW HE GAINED THEM by ROBERT SOUTHEY THE TWO ANGELS by JOHN GREENLEAF WHITTIER |