WHIRLPOOL EYES
At last it was time for the final prayer and our departure. Sancha wanted to take a last farewell of her husband, and her anguish affected everyone. Many of the men were weeping and all the women, too. Only Capitu, who was supporting the widow, seemed able to keep a hold on herself. In a consoling voice she urged her to leave the room. There was general confusion, amid which Capitu gazed at the body for a few moments so intently, with such passionate intensity, that it was no surprise to see her shed a few hot tears …
My own ceased immediately. I remained watching hers. Capitu dried them quickly, stealing a rapid glance at the people in the room. She redoubled her attentions to her friend, wanting her to withdraw, but it seemed that the body held her back, too. There was a moment when Capitu’s eyes gazed at it like those of the widow but without her cries and lamentations, huge, wide open like the waves of the sea outside, as if they, too, sought to suck down the swimmer of the morning.