The Lady of Shallot
by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
PART I
On either side the river lie
Long fields of barley and of rye,
That clothe the wold and meet the sky;
And thro’ the field the road runs by
To many-tower’d Camelot;
And up and down the people go,
Gazing where the lilies blow
Round an island there below,
The island of Shalott.
Willows whiten, aspens quiver,
Little breezes dusk and shiver
Thro’ the wave that runs for ever
By the island in the river
Flowing down to Camelot.
Four gray walls, and four gray towers,
Overlook a space of flowers,
And the silent isle imbowers
The Lady of Shalott.
By the margin, willow veil’d,
Slide the heavy barges trail’d
By slow horses; and unhail’d
The shallop flitteth silken-sail’d
Skimming down to Camelot:
But who hath seen her wave her hand?
Or at the casement seen her stand?
Or is she known in all the land,
The Lady of Shalott?
Only reapers, reaping early
In among the bearded barley,
Hear a song that echoes cheerly
From the river winding clearly,
Down to tower’d Camelot:
And by the moon the reaper weary,
Piling sheaves in uplands airy,
Listening, whispers “ ’Tis the fairy
Lady of Shalott.”
PART II
There she weaves by night and day
A magic web with colours gay.
She has heard a whisper say,
A curse is on her if she stay
To look down to Camelot.
She knows not what the curse may be,
And so she weaveth steadily,
And little other care hath she,
The Lady of Shalott.
And moving thro’ a mirror clear
That hangs before her all the year,
Shadows of the world appear.
There she sees the highway near
Winding down to Camelot:
There the river eddy whirls,
And there the surly village-churls,
And the red cloaks of market girls,
Pass onward from Shalott.
Sometimes a troop of damsels glad,
An abbot on an ambling pad,
Sometimes a curly shepherd-lad,
Or long-hair’d page in crimson clad,
Goes by to tower’d Camelot;
And sometimes thro’ the mirror blue
The knights come riding two and two:
She hath no loyal knight and true,
The Lady of Shalott.
But in her web she still delights
To weave the mirror’s magic sights,
For often thro’ the silent nights
A funeral, with plumes and lights
And music, went to Camelot:
Or when the moon was overhead,
Came two young lovers lately wed:
“I am half sick of shadows,” said
The Lady of Shalott.
PART III
A bow-shot from her bower-eaves,
He rode between the barley-sheaves,
The sun came dazzling thro’ the leaves,
And flamed upon the brazen greaves
Of bold Sir Lancelot.
A red-cross knight for ever kneel’d
To a lady in his shield,
That sparkled on the yellow field,
Beside remote Shalott.
The gemmy bridle glitter’d free,
Like to some branch of stars we see
Hung in the golden Galaxy.
The bridle bells rang merrily
As he rode down to Camelot:
And from his blazon’d baldric slung
A mighty silver bugle hung,
And as he rode his armour rung,
Beside remote Shalott.
All in the blue unclouded weather
Thick-jewell’d shone the saddle-leather,
The helmet and the helmet-feather
Burn’d like one burning flame together,
As he rode down to Camelot.
As often thro’ the purple night,
Below the starry clusters bright,
Some bearded meteor, trailing light,
Moves over still Shalott.
His broad clear brow in sunlight glow’d;
On burnish’d hooves his war-horse trode;
From underneath his helmet flow’d
His coal-black curls as on he rode,
As he rode down to Camelot.
From the bank and from the river
He flash’d into the crystal mirror,
“Tirra lirra,” by the river
Sang Sir Lancelot.
She left the web, she left the loom,
She made three paces thro’ the room,
She saw the water-lily bloom,
She saw the helmet and the plume,
She look’d down to Camelot.
Out flew the web and floated wide;
The mirror crack’d from side to side;
“The curse is come upon me,” cried
The Lady of Shalott.
PART IV
In the stormy east-wind straining,
The pale yellow woods were waning,
The broad stream in his banks complaining,
Heavily the low sky raining
Over tower’d Camelot;
Down she came and found a boat
Beneath a willow left afloat,
And round about the prow she wrote
The Lady of Shalott.
And down the river’s dim expanse
Like some bold seër in a trance,
Seeing all his own mischance—
With a glassy countenance
Did she look to Camelot.
And at the closing of the day
She loosed the chain, and down she lay;
The broad stream bore her far away,
The Lady of Shalott.
Lying, robed in snowy white
That loosely flew to left and right—
The leaves upon her falling light—
Thro’ the noises of the night
She floated down to Camelot:
And as the boat-head wound along
The willowy hills and fields among,
They heard her singing her last song,
The Lady of Shalott.
Heard a carol, mournful, holy,
Chanted loudly, chanted lowly,
Till her blood was frozen slowly,
And her eyes were darken’d wholly,
Turn’d to tower’d Camelot.
For ere she reach’d upon the tide
The first house by the water-side,
Singing in her song she died,
The Lady of Shalott.
Under tower and balcony,
By garden-wall and gallery,
A gleaming shape she floated by,
Dead-pale between the houses high,
Silent into Camelot.
Out upon the wharfs they came,
Knight and burgher, lord and dame,
And round the prow they read her name,
The Lady of Shalott.
Who is this? and what is here?
And in the lighted palace near
Died the sound of royal cheer;
And they cross’d themselves for fear,
All the knights at Camelot:
But Lancelot mused a little space;
He said, “She has a lovely face;
God in his mercy lend her grace,
The Lady of Shalott.”
The poem written by Lord Tennyson creates an overall mood of what it would have been like to be a longing soul of Camelot. It is a Victorian Ballad of the Englishman- Tennyson imagination of medieval times, the form is isometric, giving a rhyme scheme of AAAABCCCB, and to that point, the meter or flow of the poem has a looming upward effect that helps develop it's euphoric and luminous yet provocative enough to keep you memorized to find what the Lady of Shallot's pain or intrigue. That in itself is the what the speaker connection to speaker's imagination, which Tennyson tone of voice in this poem brings to life an illustration of the Medieval world. The speaker paints a picture for us and allows the audience to walk around in Camelot, based on my general sense of the allegory poem, it's significant rhyme and repetitions iambic stress really sustains it's dreamy voice.
In the first of the four long stanza of the isometric stanzas illustrates the landscape out of the tower that the Lady of Shallot is viewing. Down around beneath her from a castle high-tower perspective to watch the river, the people, and it seems as the she is underlines of her longing that she wants a simple life, not to be trapped, more like she wants to be alive, alive like to have a purpose other than being isolated in a tower. Especially with the tower, the four walls, this the speaker allows to show what life she see's with the agriculture, the movement of people and life. Roads and rivers in Camelot have it flowing in the direction, it gives a pattern of the it's
In the next stanzas the contrast between the the Shallots and Barge, the speaker bring attention to the boat. The boat is more steady and the movement of the boat it being a lot more graceful than traveling on the road with the horses in the journey to Camelot. Tennyson writes:
"By the margin, willow veil’d,
Slide the heavy barges trail’d
By slow horses; and unhail’d
The shallop flitteth silken-sail’d
Skimming down to Camelot:
It contrast how the life flowing down the river, again there is the pattern of life's movement of grace rather than being slow and heavy. It gives a sense as the poem continues to give a sense of the Arthurian nature. Meaning that the Lady of Shallot her presents is mysteriousness and whimsical point that is not able to move, like she is trapped, and a longing for life from her perspective. As the story continues it revels a curse, Tennyson is speaking more figuratively by a whisper of rumors that seems she is destine to a life of solitude and really does stricken from normal life.
This also bring light to the curse, I read it as she the Lady of Shallot is cursed not just by her solitude but by falling in love with Lancelot and that reveals her death. Her aburptivness to always notice life ending, it's almost an acknowledgement that she welcomes death and longs for it. Because she can't have Lancelot or a normal love life, it's a pity and keeps the audience hanging on the edge of their seat to her, what happens to her. She comes to live, it seems when she sees the knight's riding in two by two, as a woman who would fall in lustful love with such a man of heroic nature.
The third stanza gives the speaker asserts the Lady's enchantment of the knights armor, how the barley is reflected. Lancelot's description of his horse's bridle gave such power connection to the audience, mainly me because of the lyrical use of words to put in context of the shining stars on the bridle. It direct imagery helps strengthen the significance of theme of a dreamy state.
Honestly, towards the end I really got confused but maybe it is because I am over analyzing the singing and movement of blood freezing. I am going to try making connections but I find it particular difficult but I am bothered by the death of her. She never got to really live, from that what is the speaker trying to say? This is where if, I hadn't been sick and been apart of classroom discussion, it would have made more sense.
