[The following is in relation to the reaction of Dom Pedro II of Brazil to the death of his wife.]
The empress’s death is supposed to have inspired Dom Pedro to write this poem:
A string that breaks on a harp that’s hardly touched
Thus you leave me, the sweet companion
Of my life and my exile, truly
Half of my saddened soul!...
How happy you were! Go to your sleep,
Mother of the people, your martyrdom is over;
Daughter of kings, you have won a great throne!
The biographers tell us that Dom Pedro became increasingly solitary, accompanied only by his books and translations. Ouro Preto and his son describe him thus, soon after the empress’s death: “His Majesty, however, as soon as he heard we were there, ordered us to be let in. His room is extremely modest: on one side, his unmade bed, and a wide table covered with books and papers. A sofa and some chairs made up the rest of the furniture. Everything was cold, cheerless, and bare. With his knees covered with an old blanket, and with an old overcoat on, Dom Pedro was sitting at the table reading a large book, his head on his hand.”
Source:
Schwarcz, Lilia Moritz., and John Gledson. “The Emperor’s Exile and Death.” The Emperor's Beard: Dom Pedro II and the Tropical Monarchy of Brazil. Hill and Wang, 2004. 344-45. Print.
Original Source Listed:
Lyra, História de Dom Pedro II, III, 279.
Further Reading:
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