To a Lady, XXXIII

A terrible moment—’twas coming nigh; ’Twas nearer; ’twas nearer; ’twas on me! Oh can I believe it!—it pass’d me by; And off, in the distance, it seem’d to die, With the creak of its wings:—but there came a cry, And a hollow, unspeakable, fading sigh, And a laugh in my ears to stun me. Ha—ha! Ha—ha! What a wretch was I, For I thought the devil had won me.