I watch my sheep in the meadow. I try not to remember the old days when I was blissfully married to the best of all men. I try not to remember the siren’s grip on him and the flood that divided us.

Tonight, another shepherd has taken out his flute. He is playing the sweet music that my own husband played. The old times flood back to me, and I am overcome by his loss. Play, sweet shepherd, and let me grieve and remember….

The Grieving Shepherdess in The Nixy, Yellow Fairy Book. Painting by Camille Pissarro