Three well dressed young men stand before a little stone house that has seen better days, to judge by the two columns flanking the doorway , its walls now showing deep cracks and loose masonry. A large tablet above the door reads:

This region vast and drear is called The Plain of
Tiresome Brooding ( Le Plain de Pensee Ennuyeuse ).

We learn from the text that Grievous Sigh ( Grief Soupir ) plans to bring his unhappy life to an end here.

WE instantly recognize Desire and Cueur, wearing his red cap instead of his helmet, his right hand resting familiarly on the shoulder of the man in red, Generosity. The scene is another variation on a favorite subject of the artist: the spectacle of the awakening light. The sun itself has not yet risen, but it's first rays are gleaming in the trough between the hills, forcing back the dark blue of the night sky. The painting has few details to distract the viewer from this marvel of light illuminating the sky above the plain, between the figures in the foreground and the hills on the horizon.

On the wide plain only one tall pine stands out, Cueur's lance leaning against it, his helmet and shield at it's foot. The three companions had caught sight of this tree the day before and from that moment had ridden straight toward it. They reached it just an hour before midnight, unsaddled their horses to graze at will, then lay down to sleep in the tree's shelter. Next morning, they discovered the little house of Grievous Sigh. Now they enter and meet the old man, pale and thin, with a long beard. He has nothing to give them but some inedible bread, and they too begin to sigh grievously. ....
.....Continued...