The Eve of St. Agnes: Stanza 42 - Summary

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And they are gone: ay, ages long ago
These lovers fled away into the storm.
That night the Baron dreamt of many a woe,
And all his warrior-guests, with shade and form
Of witch, and demon, and large coffin-worm,
Were long be-nightmar’d. Angela the old
Died palsy-twitch’d, with meagre face deform;
The Beadsman, after thousand aves told,
For aye unsought for slept among his ashes cold.

Summary

      Thus, the concluding, stanza of the poem, sums up, simply but effectively, the fortunes of all the characters, in the story. The two lovers slipped away into the stormy night. That night the old Baron and his warrior guests saw many dreadful dreams of witches, demons, and dead bodies being eaten up by worms. Thus if a fearful storm blew outside, the inmates of the castle too had no peace. Old Angela had a stroke of paralysis that very night and she died with her thin face twisted. As for the Beadsman, he died too, after repeating his prayer to Virgin Mary a thousand times, and went to an everlasting sleep, completely forgotten by the world.

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