Ligeia

Ligeia is a horror short story written by Edgar Allan Poe and first published in 1838.

The story begins with the anonymous narrator describing the beauty of his wife, named Ligeia. She is a beautiful woman with ebony hair and dark curls.

But unfortunately for the narrator, Ligeia falls ill and dies soon after. She leaves her husband completely devastated and without the will to live.

Eventually, the man manages to rebuild his life after moving to England and marrying Lady Rowena Trevanion of Tremaine, though he still loves Ligeia. After a short time, however, Lady Trevanion begins to fall ill...

Ligeia, like other stories such as Morella or Berenice, represents Poe's Gothic ideal of the romantic woman on the brink of death or even returning from it to win back her beloved.

"I cannot, for my soul, remember how, when, or even precisely where, I first became acquainted with the lady Ligeia. Long years have since elapsed, and my memory is feeble through much suffering."