His lov'd Elfrida's hand.
The wish'd-for hour is gone and past;—
Slow chimes the marriage-bell;
May Heav'n forbid it prove his last—
The bridegroom's fun'ral knell!
The priest before the altar stands—
The bride bends on her knee,
And lifts to God her heart and hands
In pious fervency!
But where is he, who should have knelt