| Edmund Clarence Stedman, ed. (1833–1908). An American Anthology, 1787–1900. 1900. |
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| 486. Bluebeard’s Closet |
| | | By Rose Terry Cooke |
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| FASTEN the chamber! | |
| Hide the red key; | |
| Cover the portal, | |
| That eyes may not see. | |
| Get thee to market, | 5 |
| To wedding and prayer; | |
| Labor or revel, | |
| The chamber is there! | |
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| In comes a stranger— | |
| “Thy pictures how fine, | 10 |
| Titian or Guido, | |
| Whose is the sign?” | |
| Looks he behind them? | |
| Ah! have a care! | |
| “Here is a finer.” | 15 |
| The chamber is there! | |
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| Fair spreads the banquet, | |
| Rich the array; | |
| See the bright torches | |
| Mimicking day; | 20 |
| When harp and viol | |
| Thrill the soft air, | |
| Comes a light whisper: | |
| The chamber is there! | |
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| Marble and painting, | 25 |
| Jasper and gold, | |
| Purple from Tyrus, | |
| Fold upon fold, | |
| Blossoms and jewels, | |
| Thy palace prepare: | 30 |
| Pale grows the monarch; | |
| The chamber is there! | |
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| Once it was open | |
| As shore to the sea; | |
| White were the turrets, | 35 |
| Goodly to see; | |
| All through the casements | |
| Flowed the sweet air; | |
| Now it is darkness; | |
| The chamber is there! | 40 |
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| Silence and horror | |
| Brood on the walls; | |
| Through every crevice | |
| A little voice calls: | |
| “Quicken, mad footsteps, | 45 |
| On pavement and stair; | |
| Look not behind thee, | |
| The chamber is there!” | |
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| Out of the gateway, | |
| Through the wide world, | 50 |
| Into the tempest | |
| Beaten and hurled, | |
| Vain is thy wandering, | |
| Sure thy despair, | |
| Flying or staying, | 55 |
| The chamber is there! | |
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