For years I wandered in the wilderness, a blind man, eating roots and berries. I wept for the loss of my wife. I should have taken her away sooner. I should have protected her. Where had she gone? What had happened to her? I was blind in every way. I had been ignorant, foolish and arrogant.

After many miseries, I wandered into a desert. Then one day, I heard her voice from far away. At first I thought I was dreaming, but I went toward the sound. Her song grew louder. Then I heard her cry. I felt her body in my arms. Her breath on my neck. Her tears on my eyes.

The Blind Prince in Rapunzel, Grimms. Christ in the Wilderness painting by Briton Riviere.