Sweet safe－Houses — The Masque of the Red Death

Sweet－safe－Houses－¹
Glad－gay－Houses－
Sealed so stately tight－
Lids of Steel－on Lids of Marble－
Locking Bare feet out－

Brooks of Plush－in Banks of Satin ⁶
Not so softly fall
As the laughter－and the whisper－
From their People Pearl－

No Bald Death－affront their Parlors－¹⁰
No Bold Sickness come
To deface their Stately Treasures－
Anguish－and the Tomb－

Hum by－in Muffled Coaches－¹⁴
Lest they－wonder Why－
Any－for the Press of Smiling－
Interrupt－to die－

(F.684/J.457)

[1–5] House, Sealed, Steel:: Prince Prospero's castellated abbey, in The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allan Poe. "This was an extensive and magnificent structure, the creation of the prince's own eccentric yet august taste. A strong and lofty wall girdled it in. This wall had gates of iron. The courtiers, having entered, brought furnaces and massy hammers and welded the bolts."
[6] Plush, Satin:: the house was decorated with "velvet tapestries that hung all over the ceiling and down the walls."
[9] People Pearl:: precious, noble people; Prince Prospero's "a thousand hale and light-hearted friends from among the knights and dames of his court."
[10, 11] Bald Death, Bold Sickness:: the Red Death.
[14] muffled Coaches:: courtiers came by coaches, but not mentioned in the original story.
[17] to die:: the prince and all the courtiers died at the end. The hiding in abbey was just an interruption of their death.