Who Was She?

Summary

Bayard Taylor (1825 - 1878) was an American writer and poet, best known for his translations of German literature, including his acclaimed Faust.

Who Was She? is a romantic mystery. The narrator is on vacation and discovers what he takes to be a secluded glen unknown to anyone else. But one day, he finds a wilted bunch of flowers and a book on the flat rock where he always sits. The book contains sketches and musings, clearly by an unmarried woman. The narrator finds a way to return the book, with his own message and an unlikely and mysterious correspondence begins, from which it becomes clear that this is the start of a strange unknown quest. But one with no map, no certain destination and few clues. The only important (and multi-layered) question is "who was she?"